FLOOD DAMAGE

Last week I spoke of construction mess, not realizing the flood mess coming to Colorado. Since last Tuesday, 20,000 Colorado homes and buildings were damaged or destroyed due to a storm system that stalled over the area for five days. We give thanks our area was spared flooding, but others were not so fortunate. The flooding Platte River cut farms and towns in half, including Ft. Morgan. Fortunately, their old "Rainbow Bridge," built in 1923, is still taking traffic, while the "new" bridge next to it is unusable.

Flood waters don't stand still. To say flood waters are destructive is an understatement. Flood damage as not caused by rising clean water. The flooding debris, trash and mud do that. Floating branches, backyard items, broken buildings and even cars destroy other structures along as the flood moves along. Roadbeds are torn apart, hillsides of mud slide down and culverts are washed out. Sewers pollute fresh water and homes are ruined.  If a flood was just rising clear water, that be bad enough. It's what the water carries that does the damage.

How very much like our life! It's not merely time or age that can hurt us, or even illness and accident. It's the garbage we carry along with us and release along the way. The bad decisions, hurtful words, destructive habits and evil acts can turn a safe, sedate life into a raging torrent that destroys individuals and families. The trash let loose during the storms of life has hurt more people than the storms themselves.

What can we do about it? For one, we can make sure we have as little buildup as possible. We can start by confessing the garbage of sin we pick up along the way. Ask for forgiveness rather than gloss over or hide bad things said or done. Stop doing what we know is unhealthy or immoral. Most importantly, we can call in the Trash Man so He can haul all the bad stuff away.

Jesus is our Trash Man, the Holy One who removes life's garbage whenever we ask Him. He will remove it from us as far as the East is from the West, and He does so by taking it to a landfill called Calvary where He will bury it forever.

We may not be able to avoid all floods, but Jesus is our lifeline through them. He is our "Bridge Over Troubled Waters," and He cannot be torn down. So long as we are in contact with Him by faith, we may be muddied, even threatened, but we will be okay. When you see the trash of life heading towards your bridge to the Lord, get rid of it. Make sure it doesn't destroy that precious lifeline with Him and His people.