As a kid growing up in rural Eastern Arkansas, I am all too familiar with "levees". They are built to either hold water in a field or to keep water out. Farmers in that part of Arkansas rely on the water to grow rice and soybeans, both a major cash crop for my home state.
One of my favorite bands, Led Zeppelin, wrote a song called "When The Levee Breaks" and it is one of my all time favorites.
So I was listening to this song tonight and I thought about what levees were intended. It made me think about the "levees" we build in our own lives. Levees that are meant to protect us and keep things out or worse yet, levees that are built to keep things in.
Some say that people build walls in their hearts when they get hurt or wounded. I like the levee terminology better, I guess because I am a Arkansan at heart. When someone wounds us, we tend to retreat to an inner place, a place that we think no one can reach. And the more hurt we are the bigger the levee is. And if we were truthful with ourselves we would say we don't want to be alone in either situation.
I hate to say it but ask the folks in New Orleans how well those "big" levees protect when a hurricane like Katrina comes in. We all face hurricanes in our lives that will toss and blow us all over the place. A hurricane could be cancer, could be a loss of a job, could be a spouse that won't stay put, or it could be the loss of a loved one. Any of these things can and will cause us to go build our levee a little bit higher and think that the next time it won't get to me cause I have my levee to protect me.
Folks, that is a lie straight from the devil. There is no amount of levee or wall that can keep the pain and suffering out. There is no amount of chemical that can take away the memories or sooth the ache that lies in your heart. I know of only one way that you can ultimately be protected from the hurricane and brothers and sisters, a levee ain't it!
The only way is the only true way. He is the way, the truth, and the life. His name is Jesus Christ. He can take the pain, truthfully he already did about 2000 plus years ago. He took the pain and suffered when they hung Him on the cross and He bore yours, mine, my neighbors, my friends, my wife's, and my kids sin! He paid the price and He didn't say build a levee around your heart, He said give me your heart.
Now, what "levee" have you built in your life? What hurt are you carrying that you can't let go of? What burden do you tote around like a mill stone around your neck?
All I can say is that in my experience, when you finally break down and give it over to God, the relief will hit you harder than the levee did. You will sit back and wonder why didn't I do this sooner. I know I did and I know I still do.
Don't let the levee break and don't hide behind it either!
One of my favorite bands, Led Zeppelin, wrote a song called "When The Levee Breaks" and it is one of my all time favorites.
So I was listening to this song tonight and I thought about what levees were intended. It made me think about the "levees" we build in our own lives. Levees that are meant to protect us and keep things out or worse yet, levees that are built to keep things in.
Some say that people build walls in their hearts when they get hurt or wounded. I like the levee terminology better, I guess because I am a Arkansan at heart. When someone wounds us, we tend to retreat to an inner place, a place that we think no one can reach. And the more hurt we are the bigger the levee is. And if we were truthful with ourselves we would say we don't want to be alone in either situation.
I hate to say it but ask the folks in New Orleans how well those "big" levees protect when a hurricane like Katrina comes in. We all face hurricanes in our lives that will toss and blow us all over the place. A hurricane could be cancer, could be a loss of a job, could be a spouse that won't stay put, or it could be the loss of a loved one. Any of these things can and will cause us to go build our levee a little bit higher and think that the next time it won't get to me cause I have my levee to protect me.
Folks, that is a lie straight from the devil. There is no amount of levee or wall that can keep the pain and suffering out. There is no amount of chemical that can take away the memories or sooth the ache that lies in your heart. I know of only one way that you can ultimately be protected from the hurricane and brothers and sisters, a levee ain't it!
The only way is the only true way. He is the way, the truth, and the life. His name is Jesus Christ. He can take the pain, truthfully he already did about 2000 plus years ago. He took the pain and suffered when they hung Him on the cross and He bore yours, mine, my neighbors, my friends, my wife's, and my kids sin! He paid the price and He didn't say build a levee around your heart, He said give me your heart.
Now, what "levee" have you built in your life? What hurt are you carrying that you can't let go of? What burden do you tote around like a mill stone around your neck?
All I can say is that in my experience, when you finally break down and give it over to God, the relief will hit you harder than the levee did. You will sit back and wonder why didn't I do this sooner. I know I did and I know I still do.
Don't let the levee break and don't hide behind it either!
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