Uncovering Mold

This is our bathroom.  Notice the lack of bathtub and wall?  Insidious mold was growing behind the shower surround, you know that thing that goes around your bathtub?  

We executed a temporary repair job a few years ago for the same problem, but had obviously waited too long before implementing a permanent solution because the mold came back with a vengeance.  So here we go again, the bathroom is torn up and getting remodeled.


 



It seems like we treat  our problems like this.  If everything looks fine on the surface, we just ignore the niggling hints that there is something wrong underneath and keep singing in the shower.

Like I said, we knew the previous repair was only temporary, but we left it alone too long, the problem got bigger and bigger and we arrived at the point where we had to strip the wall back to the cinder blocks.

Ignoring a problem doesn't make it go away and implementing a temporary repair is just that, temporary.  Sometimes you have to do the hard work of digging below the surface to get to the root of a problem.

• Are your finances a mess?  You might need to examine your expenditures to uncover where all the money is going.  
• Do you have a troubled relationship?  Don't keep shifting the blame on the other person, examine your own heart, motives and actions. 
• Are you gaining weight, or having trouble eating healthfully?  Don't deceive yourself, assess what you're eating, how much you're eating and when you're eating.  You'll likely find some answers.

In order to transition to a life of wholeness, health and peace, we need to examine honestly the unhealthy areas in our lives and deal with them by initiating changes.  Even when they're messy.  Even when they're inconvenient.  Even when they're hard.  Even when it hurts.


And while it's great to research and talk to other people about the best way to handle the problem, remember in the end that their solution is probably not going to be your solution.  Everyone has diverse circumstances. 

As a Christian, my solution begins by going to God and asking for help because effecting radical change is difficult and sometimes impossible on my own.  And quite likely the way He leads me is going to be different than the way He leads someone else.  However it happens, the repair work may still be hard, and others might judge and criticize my methods and choices, but at least I know I'm doing it the way He wants me to.

So, where is your mold?  Are you willing to strip your life down to the cinder blocks to find the truth and make changes?