What Glenn Writes

My daughters and son were with a group of children who were asked, “What is your favorite summertime activity?”  They answered in unison with, “Swimming!”  I am convinced this is a common reply with children who have chlorine bleached hair by the Fourth of July, a moderate tan, and parents who have become experts patching those flimsy, cheap inflatable pool toys. 

The kids love their time in the pool, yelling and squealing, and splashing Dad as he walks by on his way to a business meeting (which begins with “Why yes, those are chlorine stains on my suit. Don’t you have chlorine stains on your suit?  You don’t?  You have coffee stains on your suit?  That is so last week.  You really should update your stains.”)

When we had a pool, I developed an understanding about the pool water: it must be clear.  For some reason, green swampy water takes away from the enjoyment.  And as a side note, if children cannot see the bottom of the pool, especially my children, they develop the tendency to “feel” all sorts of underwater thingies brushing up against their legs.  They do not understand the term “going green” in this context.  

Experience tells me converting green water to clean water requires an engineer, two scientists, a lab technician, and a very large (and equally expensive) assortment of chemicals, stabilizers, shock treatments, algae eaters, and chlorine.  After you put one chemical in to change the pH balance (which is nothing more than fancy pool talk for, “let’s see how much money we can extract from your bank account”), you have to add another chemical to counter the pH thingy.  I asked them to explain the pH thingy to me, but they said, “…it’s not a thingy, it’s a balance in your pool between the acid and alkaline content, or a measure of dissolved hydrogen ion activity coefficients.”

There you have it. 

When I told him his explanation was as clear as green pool water, he smiled and asked, “Will that be cash or charge?”  He looked smug with pH stains on his suit while I still lingered with chlorine stains on mine.

I learned keeping the water clean in the first place was easier, less costly, did not require a chemical engineering degree, nor installment loan plans with the pool supply dealer.  The real secret was in nightly doses of good quality chlorine.

The principle was pretty basic: use good quality chlorine and put it in regularly.  If we applied this principle to our pool, the water would be clean and enjoyable.  As I consider this principle, I realize this was not original; this is actually sound Biblical instruction (excluding the chlorine, pH problems, and suit stains).  If we use good quality instruction and apply it regularly, our lives have a better chance of being clean and enjoyable.

Good quality instruction is not a textbook, but instead it is in the action of accepting God’s Word.  We find this in the parable about the farmer sowing seeds in Luke 8:5-8, which reads, “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up.  Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture.  Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants.  Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown…”

Jesus begins to explain the parable with, “The seed is the Word of God…”, or our directions to life.  So if His Word falls “…along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up…”, perhaps we are not serious enough about applying His Word to our lives.  If His Word falls “…on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered…”, perhaps our understanding is not complete enough to establish a solid root structure – or belief basis, and we fail to apply His Word.  If His Word falls “…among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants…”, perhaps our busy lives are out of control, and in fact, we are in desperate need of sound advice – and the ability to apply His Word.  And if His Word falls “…on good soil…”, we see the application His Word in our lives, the good soil equating to the “action of acceptance”.

The Lord tells us in Deuteronomy 11:18-19 to, “Fix these Words of Mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.”

Here the Lord gives us His Word and tells us to put them “…in your hearts and minds…”, or to think about His Word regularly and place His instructions where we will see them.

If we use good quality instruction (God’s Word) and apply it regularly (as instructed), our lives can be clean and enjoyable.

This basic transformation in our lives is in the regular application of God’s Word, which will teach us more about His ways and as Hebrews 10:22 tells us, we will “…draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”

This pure water, as my daughters will tell you, is better than being immersed in green swamp water, or living with sinful stains (which is so yesterday).

When being a Christian is tough, are you tough enough?

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Glenn Sasscer
www.glennsasscer.com
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