(pardon the candid post today; enjoy)
Since stuff gets stuck, today I had to make my way to the local Wal-Mart and purchase a plunger. Don’t judge: “it” happens. Of course I checked out through the self-checkout lane and tried my best to walk briskly and keep my head down when headed from aisle 9 in the back to the front. As I returned to my car, I was englightened to a deep and profound truth: Stuff gets stuck for everyone. EVERYONE. EVERYWHERE. “It” happens to everyone, (It = stuck stuff). Why are we so ashamed of our stuff? Why was I so ashamed of my purchase? Plungers are valuable instruments that helps get stuff unstuck. That’s where we get the plunger principle.
One of the most common pitfalls of a young leader is failing to understand that God uses the natural to make room for the supernatural. He uses the physical to make room for the spiritual. “But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual,” (1 Corinthians 15:46 ESV). Plungers are anyone or anything that seems “beneath” you that God is using to make room for something new.
POINT: plungers are people or problems (or both) that make room for God’s presence and God’s purpose.
Questions:
Are you in danger of falling into the plumbing problem? Are you waiting for a supernatural breakthrough but have never bought a plunger?
Three facts about plungers:
- Plungers are stinky/dirty. Many times the very thing that God wants to use to grow us feels like something that we’ve grown beyond. He pulls us back in order to release us forward. I’ve seen it again and again. To mix metaphors and quote my longtime mentor and friend Ron Harris: “God will give you a mop before a mic.”
- Plungers are inexpensive. Plungers aren’t flashy or classy. They are cheap, inexpensive ways that God uses to change us. It seems like that we create programs and pamphlets that cost tons of time and money, when God is simply interested in the plunger. If we’ll humble ourselves to buy the plunger, God will use it to bring about His purpose. It’s not complicated or expensive, but it’s not easy either. Remember: plungers are stinky.
- Plungers are powerful. Why? Plungers unstick things. Getting stuck is a major danger for leaders who are trying to grow and advance God’s kingdom. However, plungers are powerful instruments that the Father employs to keep us moving forward. We should not curse the plungers in our path, we should thank the Father for them.
Remember: God uses plungers to clean out the old and usher in the new! What are the plungers God is using right now to get your stuff unstuck?
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