When it rains . . . .

A few weeks ago I was doing laundry at home (yes, I help my wife with the laundry. So lives the 21st century man). When the washing machine started draining, a pungent odor began to assail my nose, a combination of wet earth and sewage. A quick inspection revealed this thick stew bubbling up into the bathtub and kitchen sink. Indeed, from that point on, every time we tried to do the laundry, this foul fountain would reappear, filling the house with it's damp stench. After bringing out a plumber we were told that the source of our problem was a busted drainage pipe under the slab foundation of the house. Even as he spoke on and on in complex plumbing jargon that I barely understood, a sense of panic began to rise in me. "This sounds expensive." I thought to myself. My mind began to wander along these lines when I snapped back into reality with his words "$15,000-$30,000".

What?

Please understand that my family and I live in a small residence attached to the synagogue where I serve. I immediately called the synagogue insurance company. "I'm sorry Rabbi Fuller but we don't cover plumbing problems outside of the building which includes things under the foundation." Panic time again.

A few days later I was walking into the synagogue when I was greeted by undulating waves of water gently flowing out of the fellowship room, through the hallway and into the foyer where the sixth great lake was rapidly forming. The culprit ended up being a blown pipe which, after much wrestling with the powerful spray and fumbling with a shut-off valve, I was able to turn off. I rushed out and borrowed a large wet-vac from a friend and, while my wife was trying to suck Lake Michigan into a plastic barrel, I was once again on the phone with our insurance company. Turns out they WILL cover this one.

When things like this go wrong, there is a temptation for us to turn to God and ask "why". God is all-powerful, right? He could make the pipes in our aging building work just fine if He so desires. Yet, instead of Divine intervention we immediately assume Divine neglect. I don't believe that such an assumption is fair. We so frequently cry out to God for justice when it is often us who are guilty of being unfair to God. When the sun is shining on our lives we casually thank God and go our way. When a little rain falls (or stinky water flows) we rapidly point our finger at Him and wonder why He hasn't been doing what we perceive to be His job.

God is God. He is not as interested in our comfort as He is in our completion.  He is truly in charge of all things and if we are experiencing challenges of any kind it would behoove us to remember that there is a reason for the suffering not the least of which is to provide us an opportunity to grow in Him. True, such knowledge may be of little comfort, but it is truth nonetheless. It's also good to know that the rain never falls forever. Eventually, the sun will come out and the clean-up begins. Thank You, God.

Now, I hope you'll excuse me. I have some cleaning to do.