Did I Just Do That?

Have you ever had one of those moments when you’ve said to yourself, “Did I really just do that?” Well, I had one of those moments Sunday evening. Tami and I are starting a massive remodeling of our house. During our consultation with a designer we were throwing around several ideas on things we could do to update our kitchen. One of the things that Tami and I have seen in several newer homes is a sink island that offers two ways to get into the family room. We really like that style and thought we might see what it’d look like in our home. The consultant and her construction supervisor said that they didn’t think it would work because they thought our plumbing didn’t come from under our slab but instead through the walls. They just left it at that and headed on to their next meeting. Well, I wouldn’t take their word on it, so I decided on Sunday that I’d go on a plumbing expedition.

I have a reciprocating saw and it was just itching to give it a go with me. So I pulled it out, crawled under our kitchen sink, and went to work. About the time I started, our daughter and her husband walked in to join the expedition. I made my first cut thinking I’d cut out the cabinet in pie-like pieces until I could break it away and reach down to the slab. My first two cuts were perfect, and as I started my third cut my son-in-law said, “Don’t hit the water pipe.” Duh…I know that! But it wasn’t two seconds later that I heard the sound of pressurized water, and bam…it hit me and was spraying everywhere. I’d hit the water pipe.

All I could think was, Thanks Justin! ha! No, I knew exactly what I needed to do. I ran outside to the main water shut-off valve and turned off the water. Good news: no more spraying water. Bad news: no water at all. Here it is Sunday evening and I have a broken water pipe and stores are going to be closing. I knew that I couldn’t waste any time, so I headed out immediately to our nearest hardware store to see what I could do.

At the store I discovered this wonderful product made just for guys like me. It’s a tape that looks like the material casts are made of and you soak it in water for 30 seconds, then wrap it around the leaking pipe. After 30 minutes of drying time your leak will be fixed. Excited but a little skeptical, I bought it and headed home. It was easy enough to find the hole, so I opened up my kit and couldn’t believe my eyes—someone had taken the special tape and I had nothing to wrap around my broken pipe. So here I go, back to the store to get another package of tape, and this time they were closing. I opened the box to make sure the tape was there, exchanged the package, and headed home praying it’d work. I soaked the tape, let it cure, and turned on the water. Sure enough, it sealed the leak, and here it is Tuesday evening and still holding strong. What a handy man!

What did I learn form this? First, don’t invite your son-in-law to watch you when doing a project that can go horribly wrong. Second, even the smallest of holes in a pipe can put out a lot of water. The hole was less than 1/16 of an inch, but that’s all the water needed. Third, don’t panic; figure out the best course of action and then react. Little water was spilled and the hole was repaired in a short time. In life, I need to practice the same principles. Don’t panic when things seem out of control but stop and think of the best solution for the situation. With the Holy Spirit’s guidance and acting in faith those problems will be overcome.