Day 5 - Holes

The rain of the past few days has been relentless and the result has been waterlogged fields and a spate of potholes opening up in the roads.   Im not sure quite why a bit of rain can suddenly wear away inches of tarmac - but a recent broken spring in the suspension of my car is testimony to the fact that it can, and does .  And it makes driving a bumpy and annoying experience.

Don't worry.  This isnt going to turn into a rant about the road service or a political treatise on the need for more spending on infrastructure  😊😊   But the holes in the road just got me to thinking about the effect that the storms of life can have on our journey through it.

Yesterday I related the catalogue of disasters which have befallen our family since the New Year.   Every time some assault comes along to batter us there is the potential for a hole to form in the road.  Especially if there is a weakness somewhere in our foundations.  Perhaps our patience wears thin.  Or our mood takes a dip,  maybe we lower our sights and start to forget the promises God has made to us.  We focus on the rain and lament the difficulty in travelling - perhaps even pulling into a layby for a while instead of pressing on towards the goal.   When the metaphorical rain is lashing the road often gets bumpy.  Our faith journey gets harder and our vehicles take a battering.

Yesterday I was talking about how the family of God can really lift us up, surround and protect us in the storm.  Shelter us from the battering of the enemy through love and prayer.   But inevitably we cannot solely rely on others to get us through.  We also need to pay attention to any places in our lives which have become worn down and potholed.  If we leave the small holes of disillusion or disappointment, of low mood or anger or lack of faith then they will get bigger.   Storms always cause damage of some sort.  If you are going through one now, or have recently emerged from a bit of a battering then repairs will be necessary.  Sooner rather than later.

They are doing roadworks on the dual carriageway near us at the moment - installing crash barriers - and they are working at night because that's when the roads are quietest.    Sometimes I think God does some of His best repair work at night.   When we are alone , quiet, and have time.  We so often get cross or upset when we know we should be asleep but are mysteriously awake.  But perhaps after the storms these are the moments when we need to tune into the Holy Spirit and ask Him to fill in any holes which have been inflicted on and in us.  We perhaps fret about odd dreams we dont understand without realising that they can sometimes be God's way of untangling the mess in our head which the day/week/month has wrought.


My car goes in for its MOT on Tuesday and Im hoping that the potholes have not inflicted too much damage and that my suspension and bearings are fit for purpose !   In the meantime I shall drive round the potholes and try to remember where they all are, because whilst God is pretty good at mending holes in souls He leaves the ones in the road to government departments which take their time getting round to it  😁