What’s the best way to fix a leak? In Mary Mapes Dodge’s book Hans Brinker, a finger was enough for the Little Dutch Boy to hold back the water seeping through a crack in one of Holland’s dikes. Imagine how this story would have played out if the dike had seepage a few feet away on either side of the first crack. The more leaks appeared in the dike, the harder it would be to stem the tide. At a certain point, the Little Dutch Boy would run out of fingers. This helpless situation unfolded on a much larger scale at three mines in Colorado on August 5, 2015.
Solving One Problem, Creating Another
In an effort to keep polluted runoff mine water from Cement Creek, a naturally-formed stream which flowed into the Animas River near the town of Silverton, Colorado, a water treatment plant had been constructed at the Sunnyside Mine. When this treatment plant closed in 1996, the runoff water from the mine was plugged with a concrete “finger” in a project which was completed in 2002. Shortly thereafter, the Environmental Protection Agency noted that the rate of acid water discharge at Gold King and other nearby mines had greatly increased.
On August 5, 2015, EPA contractors working at the Gold King Mine with heavy equipment accidentally set off a chain reaction which led to the colossal multimillion-gallon spill of orange, contaminated mine water into the Animas River. Most of the water which had been diverted by the cement plugs now ran freely into the river shared by three states.
Fortunately, just over one week after the massive spill, most of the orange color from the mine water had dispersed. Still, the crisis was far from over. Commercial and agricultural sites along the coastline had to wait until they received clearance that the water was safe to use. A legal battle soon followed as the affected states sued the Environmental Protection Agency for its role in the mess. The whole situation provides a fitting reminder of the danger of inadequately addressing life’s problems.
The Treatment Plant of the Heart
Sin in the heart is like the contaminated water at Gold King Mine: Once we’re aware of a leak, it will take more than a finger in the dike to stop it. Plugging the leaks of discontentment, selfishness, ungodly anger, lust, envy, pride, resentment and bitterness with efforts at changed behavior will only cause them to find the path of least resistance, expressing themselves in a different, equally damaging way — unless they are treated at their source, the heart.
Jim Berg wrote, “God goes to great lengths to address the heart issues of His people. He is not satisfied with leaving the relationship with Him unreconciled. Don’t be satisfied with any change you see if it is obvious that there has been no real reconciliation with and submission to God.” [1] The “leaks” we see in life are symptoms of a deeper problem with our relationship with God. Any remedy for the symptoms which does not address the heart problem is a plug which will only be temporary, incomplete and ultimately, ineffective.
A Permanent Plug
What the Sunnyside water treatment plant did for the mine’s acidic water, God longs to do for our hearts. We can either allow Him to cleanse us or attempt to plug the leaks with our self-made solutions. Only one solution is permanent. Only one solution will truly fix the problem within us. Better to allow God, who knows what is best and does all things well, to make us clean.
Think your leaks are too many? First John 1:9 reminds us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” It starts with a humble prayer. Acknowledge your need before Him today, and soon the waters which flow from your life into others’ will be made clear.
Article by Cam Edwards
[1] Berg, Jim, Changed Into His Image, Bob Jones University Press, Greenville, South Carolina, 1999, p. 86-87.
0 Comments