Ice Dams
March 9
Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
1Timothyy 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!
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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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