Ice
Dams
Watch your life and doctrine closely.
Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and
your hearers.
1 Timothy 4:16
The warm days in early March meant
spring was on the way. But the cold nights, still falling below
freezing, created potential issues for roofs in the community. Snow
melt on warmer days created an accumulation of ice in gutters, and
constant thawing and re-freezing had backed ice up more than three
feet up people’s roofs, creating ice dams. If left unattended the
water would siphon up and under the shingles, soaking the roof
sheeting. If that happens over an extended period it rots the wood,
resulting in a sagging, leaky roof. If left unattended long enough a
new roof would become necessary.
That’s why Jerry was perched
precariously at the top of a twenty-foot extension ladder; a feat in
itself since Jerry was deathly afraid of heights. He knew if he
didn’t remove the ice he’d eventually be replacing his roof. That
knowledge trumped his fear!
With hammer in one hand, chisel in the
other, Jerry set about chipping away at the ice, removing it in two
foot sections, then moving the ladder to repeat the process all over
again. By the time he finished, Jerry was exhausted; physically and
emotionally. But the ice dam and his problems were gone!
†
In the same way that it’s better to
maintain good roof conditions with preventive maintenance rather than
re-roof the house after the damage is done, spiritual rot can be
avoided if we tend to matters before they overwhelm us.
Like Jerry, knowledge of impending
trouble can be a great motivator. But sometimes even the fear of
future problems won’t move us to action. Like Paul says, we need to
persevere in spiritual matters, because like Jerry’s house if he’d
failed to take action, not only will we suffer in the long run,
others may suffer for our apathetic approach to spirituality.
God promises if we’re diligent in
maintaining our spiritual health we will reap the benefit of saving
ourselves and those who our lives touch.
Prayer
“Help me keep on top of
the spiritual ice dams in my life, Lord. Show me how to deal with
them before they become an issue that will affect me and those my
witness touches. In Jesus’ Name, amen. ”
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