Dirty Jobs
Hello Friends,
I hope your New Year is off to a great start!
You may be surprised to know the one TV show in which I have identified, is Mike Rowes’Dirty Jobs. Mike Rowe is a champion of essential workers, rolling up his sleeves to celebrate the next generation of hardworking men and women who have made civilized life possible.
The reason for my connection to this show goes back to my first ministry work at HTB in London. I was employed half-time as the Youth and Children’s leader, and half-time as the church janitor. Part of my job was to weekly clean the toilets, vacuum the floors and do general maintenance items. Cathy and I lived in the ground-floor apartment next to the church and often a homeless person would come by our bedroom window at 2 am, asking for a sandwich…but that’s another story!
One summer's afternoon there was a torrential thunderstorm and the alley beside the church was overflowing with water because the sewers were backed up. The Rev. Nicky Lee and I quickly figured out that the solution was to pull up the manhole cover in the alley, get down into the sewer and manually unclog the pipes. Before Nicky could do it, and I’m sure he would have, I intervened and jumped down into what I can only describe as the "dirtiest job" I’ve ever done. Once unplugged, the contents of the alley above me rushed down, making a hugely satisfying gurgling sound as it went.
A few years later Nicky, and his wife Sila, asked if they could use this as an illustration in a talk they were developing for The Marriage Course, about forgiveness. It is very possibly the best talk I have heard on the subject. I wish everyone could hear it! I have attached the link below and I encourage you to watch it or listen in, as it applies to all relationships everywhere.
Nicky and Sila used this illustration because it sums up best the much-needed, but often mucky task of clearing the drains, and then keeping the drains clear of the offenses and hurts that can build up. To begin with, there is no way around getting down into the drain and doing the "dirty job” of unclogging the blockage.
As I was praying this afternoon, I felt God give me several "words of knowledge." One big general one was that some have deeply personal unresolved issues with spouses, parents, and older children. More specifically, at least one person who reads this knows there is an ex-boss about whom you have said, "I will never forgive him for that." Someone is having the hardest time "forgiving themselves" for something that has remained buried for years. Also, there is someone asking about the forgiveness of a parent who has already passed away.
At the beginning of 2023, why not watch/listen to the talk by Nicky and Sila and ask the Holy Spirit to show you if there are any clogged drains in your life. If perhaps you need a friend with whom to chat confidentially, about a situation that is hard or seemingly impossible to forgive, then please reach out. I’d be more than happy to jump on a private call, Zoom, or FaceTime with you.
‘A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.’ Proverbs 17:17
Blessings to you all,
Derek+
