Don't Ignore Algae

Sunday evening I went outside to fill up our pool and noticed a layer of algae covering the walls. I was a little shocked because it had only been a few days since I’d been out to check on the pool. So I took about 20 minutes and set out to brush down all the walls and put shock into the water to kill the algae. After those 20 minutes, the walls were clean and the pool looked normal. I went out Monday evening and was pleased to see that there was no sign of any algae and the water was crystal clear!

What happened to the pool got me thinking about my life. There are those days where everything appears to be moving along perfectly. Work is good, family is good, friendships are great, and all I have to do is maintain. I can get lazy and not think anything of it. The easiest place to get lazy is with Tami because we both work and at the end of the day just want to get dinner then rest. Even though everything appears to be normal and I don’t sense any changes, it doesn’t take long and Tami notices the difference. She will start asking questions that let me know I’m getting lazy and not working at our relationship. Just as our pool seemed to be fine and a few days of neglect led to algae starting to grow, our relationship can appear to be fine but a few days of neglect will begin to affect us.

When those times happen in life, it’s important that I quickly go into action to correct the problem. Had I neglected the pool, not only would it not have gotten better, but the problem would have quickly deteriorated and grown much worse. In my relationship with Tami, my job, and with friends, the same principal applies. When there is a problem and I choose to ignore or neglect it, the problem will not just get better. The longer I ignore the situation, the worse it will get. It may take more than 20 minutes to correct, but it will be corrected much quicker by dealing with it today over ignoring it and creating a bigger mess. If you are like me, it’s not easy taking that first step to correct problems in life, but you will be happy you did when the problem is resolved.

The same thing can be said about your relationship with Christ. The Holy Spirit will convict us when we are letting things creep into our lives that shouldn’t be there. Don’t ignore where God is working in your life, but respond and experience the joy that comes from being in God’s perfect will. All of us will have times where algae can creep in, but that’s just a reminder that we can’t live on cruise control.