After the cold and icy conditions in December, which were followed by days and days of rain, a large pothole appeared at the bottom of the hill near where I live. It was not immediately obvious, especially when it was overflowing with rainwater.
My husband hit it as we returned home one afternoon. Fortunately no damage was done to his tyre, but others were not so lucky. The wonders of social media meant people within our village could warn others of the presence of said pothole, as several people had sustained punctures as a result of driving into this pothole. (The local tyre repair service were doing a roaring trade!)
This reminded me of aspects of our Christian faith.
The pothole represents sin and temptation.
We can drive headlong into it. We might think we’ve got away with it – but is their underlying damage done?
We might not get away with it, and be stopped in our tracks, unable to progress any further.
But help is at hand – Jesus, our Saviour can pull us out of the pothole. He has the power to fully repair the damage done, giving us new life, so that we can continue on our faith journey.
We may be well aware of the presence of the pothole – we’ve driven past it before, or perhaps someone else has warned us about it. So we are enabled to avoid the giving in to the temptation of sin. We know it’s there but we can take evasive action.
The particular pothole I’m referring to near me, now has a traffic cone sitting proudly in it. So, even the fastest, in attentive driver can now avoid damage from falling in the pothole.
Jesus, stands as a beacon, so that all – the attentive or the daydreamer, the “speedy” or the reflective can avoid falling into sin.
So as you drive around the countryside or town, (both have their fair share of potholes), take care, pay attention and don’t fall and cause damage that will be costly to repair.
AMEN