A Little Dirt on the Coil

 

O

ne evening, around 8:30, I was reminded of the joys of home ownership.  I made my way through the house, turning on lamps, pulling shades, and making sure all the doors were locked and the outside lights were on.  Everything was set for a relaxed evening of reading in my study.  That’s when I noticed something in the guest bedroom, something that wasn’t there that morning or perhaps even when I came home earlier in the evening.   

 

What I saw was water, water that had leaked through the ceiling and the wall and was running in small rivulets toward the floor.  Now don’t get me wrong.  The amount of water didn’t require me to replicate Noah’s plans for the ark, but there was enough of it to cause the sheetrock to stain and slough off some of the decorative texture. 

 

I immediately called the air conditioning company.  They told me to turn off the unit and they would send somebody right away.  About 30 minutes later, a technician rang my doorbell and the hunt for the leak was on!  What we found caused me to really think and provided the subject for today’s Tidbit 

 

It appeared that something was clogging the primary drain of the unit in my attic.  Whatever this was caused water to escape down the secondary drainage pipe and when it arrived at the wall, it leaked.  What caused the clog was indeed a mystery.  There was nothing in the primary drain blocking any water.  The tech checked the outside unit and its coolant levels, and everything was perfect, no leaks of any kind.  The last thing he did was to clean the coil.  Sometimes, it seems, small amounts of dirt can adhere to the coil, pulling water away from the main drain, sending it down another path to exit via the secondary drainage system. 

 

As we wrapped up the visit, I began to think about how long that dirt had been there.  How long had it been building up, just waiting for the perfect moment to ruin my wall and my evening?  This led me to think of the words James wrote in the first chapter of his book. 

 

James 1:15 tells us, “Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” James explains for us the process of sin in our lives.  Sin doesn’t happen all at once, taking us by surprise.  No, it is an active process in which we are active, willing participants.  Sin beings with a desire and as that desire grows, so do the damaging effects in our lives.  Then suddenly, the dam bursts, and everything spills over and destroys everything in its path.  A little dirt on the coil, if left untreated and unchecked over time, will eventually cause a leak that will damage the walls and the interiors of our lives. 

 

When is the last time you had the systems of your live and the condition of your heart checked?  Could it be that there is dirt on the coil, dirt that will eventually lead to a damaging leak in your life?  All that is necessary is for you to ask Jesus to cleanse the coil and remove anything that would block the flow of his love and his spirit in your life.  Don’t you think it’s time for a service call today?