Drain away your problems

March 1, 2021| Past Issues, Burpham Church

Do you ever feel there is a build-up of problems in your life and you would really benefit from a fresh start without just ignoring your reality?

Sadly, I cannot offer you a magic way to solve your problems – although I do believe in a God who can do anything.

More often though, God does not work by removing our problems but moulding us as we face them! I have however, found ways that help me find strength to face the problems and realities that come my way.

Our garden is in a part of Burpham that has a very high water table; that is the water in the ground is close to the surface. The result of this is that parts of the garden are always boggy, even in the summer, and when it rains a lot parts of the garden become pools of water! It is the same with our problems – if they keep building up our lives get boggy, or even flooded, and then it is difficult to have hope or to see a way forward.

The way we dealt with this problem in our garden was to put in what are called land drains. These are pipes which have holes in the sides and are laid just below the lawn surface, allowing water to soak into the pipes and then to be carried away from the lawn to a stormwater drain. These underground land drains are constantly at work draining the water away, so the garden now only gets boggy when it rains very heavily, and even then it does not last long.

Create a regular way to release the anxious thoughts and worries of everyday life so there is no build-up when a ‘storm’ comes!

So, I am suggesting this is a good approach in the rest of our lives too. Creating a regular way to release the anxious thoughts and worries of everyday life so there is no build-up when a ‘storm’ comes! How can we do this? Well, people have different ways including meditation, exercise and reading but they all involve setting real time aside daily. For me as a Christian, I spend time daily in prayer. The real advantage of prayer is that I am speaking to someone (God) who loves me so much He is longing to listen and carry my worries for me.