I asked my husband, a plumber for the last 35 years, what the weirdest thing was that he ever pulled out of a pipe. Before he relinquished the answer, there was a brief discussion about the usual suspects, including; things that should not be flushed despite what that commercial says, too much paper, and all feminine products. This was followed by an even longer explanation of how all that piping is supposed to work.
You see, often a clogged toilet is not an easy fix. Through some vigorous plunging, a customer can actually push the unwanted item from the toilet, further into the piping. More often than most customers would like, a resolution involves the removal of said toilet, snaking the pipe with heavy, cumbersome equipment, and, of course, toilet resetting. What can’t be recovered or displaced via the toilet and its piping, usually will cause a bigger problem in the form of a main line clog. When the main clogs, no plumbing in the house is usable, and out comes even heavier equipment, complete with a costly camera attachment.
Having seen it firsthand on the aforementioned camera equipment, I can attest that the inside of the piping is unsettling. It’s a sneak peek into an artery. It’s dark and wet. Soggy goo clings to the side. Water may be trickling past, or it may be stopped altogether.
As I waited for an answer, he went on to explain an unexpectedly common culprit in the realm of problematic pipes. It is what my husband likes to call “alien angel hair pasta”, known to us, non-plumbers, as tree roots. You see, while you slept, ate, watched t.v., read, and just generally lived life, the tiniest roots of that big, beautiful maple tree across the street, stretched silently, and some might say, menacingly your way.
You may not know it, but roots are opportunistic. They prowl through layers of dirt, until they reach your unsuspecting pipe. Here they search for a way into your plumbing, through a weakness or a separation. As the tree roots grow, now nicely watered, courtesy of your house, they expand within the pipe. All of this leads to an eventual crack or collapse of the structure. A break in the pipe that signals a bigger problem. But (deep breaths) this is the opportunity to finally heal something you didn’t even know was broken.
I couldn’t help but draw a comparison between these tree roots and your opportunistic enemy mentioned in 1 Peter 5:8, where is says,
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (NIV)
That weakness in the pipe sounds a lot like Romans 7:18,
For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.(NIV)
And how do we avoid a separation in our lives from the source? Isaiah 59:2 cautions,
But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. (NIV)
Not surprisingly, the Bible actually has a lot to say about roots as well. And, while most of it is good, there were a few words of warning.
Like the root of bitterness mentioned in Hebrews 12:15,
See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. (NIV)
Unresolved anger can quickly turn a heart sour. Upset with that neighbor? Irritable? Constantly disappointed? We all know that a little bitter root will eventually lead to a lot of bitter fruit. And if the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, your bitterness might lead to someone else’s bitterness.
Or in 1 Timothy 6:10 when it talks about the root of evil,
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (NIV)
Now of course money doesn’t grow on trees, but the love of it might. The desire to contract and contain the money is enough to cause this root to flourish. You end up putting a lot of time and energy into maintaining, what amounts to, a glorified green leaf. And there you are wandering from the faith and piercing yourself with all kinds of griefs in search of it.
And don’t forget this root found in Proverbs 12:3,
No one can be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted. (NIV)
Don’t miss the forest for the trees on this one. The root of the righteous cannot be moved, but what about the human heart or the root of the unrighteous? Adam Clarke had this to say in his commentary,
“Evil is always variable: it has no fixed principle, except the root that is in the human heart; and even that is ever assuming new forms..”
Once you acknowledge you are having plumbing problems, a plumber can help you by clearing away the dreaded roots long before they have destroyed the line. An experienced plumber comes equipped with more skills and tools than you or I can imagine or possess. He, or she, can get the obstacle cleared and the water flowing the right direction again.
And obstacles? Most would agree that both spiritual and physical obstacles are best when removed. But only God can uncover it all. He exposes the root of the matter, not to condemn, but to repair and heal. Unlike my favorite plumber though, God doesn’t need expensive camera equipment or cutting tools to remove the corrupt roots in your life. He needs you. He needs you to acknowledge the need for His Divine Help. He needs you to admit that you have sin in your life. And He needs you to accept His son, Jesus, and let Him be Lord. That may well be the only contribution to your salvation.
And then, you can rely on Him to show you the areas of your life that are separated from Him and weak.
And then, you can ask for the renewed strength and tools to dig it all up and try again, getting that water flowing in the right direction.
And then, He can enable you to be more selective about what you allow to take root in your life, which may mean choosing hard over easy.
Now our talk thus far had literally led me down the maze of modern-day water supply and drainage, until he mentioned plastic. But, as it turns out, plastic wasn’t the weirdest thing he had ever pulled out of a pipe. However, I did learn that a lot of the antiquated clay pipes that were once concealed beneath the street have been replaced by newfangled plastic. These pipes won’t crack the same way as clay, though they do still get ruined. In fact, given the opportunity, a root could easily stretch 20-30 feet through the plastic pipe following the flow of water to the source.
Could the same thing be happening to you? Is there a separation, or a weakness somewhere down the line? Has a bad root infiltrated the gate and run unchecked toward the source? Have you been ignorantly watering it?
Call a plumber. Or better yet, call on your Heavenly Father.
And while you’re at it, keep an eye on those trees. You never can tell.
And in case you’re still wondering what that weird object was that my husband pulled from a pipe. It was a pair of women’s capri pants, size 6. Exactly how they got there is another story. Or maybe, more appropriately, it’s another limb on a tree.
Scattered Seed Books 