A small blockage that doesn’t seem to be causing too much of an issue can be a big deal. Take a slow-draining commode, for example. The toilet still flushes, so you don’t give it an extra thought. The next few times you flush, it swirls but doesn’t go down, so you hold the handle down and voila! Success! So, you still don’t address the issue.

The next thing to happen is that someone on a higher floor takes a shower. For some reason, unbeknownst to your non-plumbing mind, your slow-flushing toilet overflows WAY more water than is contained in the bowl. As you see a baby sock from your cousin’s kid who visited 3 months ago floating past your bedroom door, you are aware the entirety of the pipe’s traffic for the last 4 months is now spreading EVERYWHERE, infecting everything. There are all sorts of unspeakable sea creatures contained in the mess that has ensued. You are overwhelmed, frustrated, and blaming the person who showered for creating the chaos, rather than blaming yourself for not addressing the slow-flushing porcelain fixture.

Residential and commercial blockages can be damaging and disruptive. But when your own body experiences blockage in an area that is meant for free travel, this causes seismic ripples that are even more dramatic and personal. The trouble may present as pain, disrupted system functions, or it could even end your life!

Builders and plumbers try to install things that will avoid blockages. The Lord designed the body not to have blockages, and if one tries to rear its head, the body has some remarkable compensatory mechanisms to deal with the danger. If something does overcome the built-in protective measures, there are trained professionals who can fix the problem.

By way of prevention, there are things we are taught that lessen the possibility of an obstacle occurring. With a kitchen sink, we are told not to put bacon grease in it. It will coat the pipes, create a smaller diameter, and chunkier things will get hung up in there. For the toilet, mom always said “Don’t use too much paper, it will initiate a log-jam”. With respect to your arteries, we could again use the bacon grease lesson. 😉

Often, we have signs that a blockage is imminent. Slow swirly toilets and chest or stomach pain warns us of a problem. In the case of heart vessel blockages, family history is the main contributing factor. If your pop and your grandpop had heart issues – be vigilant in keeping watch.

We can parlay this warning system to our spiritual discipline. Things block the free flow of our time spent investing in our relationship with the Lord. They interfere with our reading and studying His Word, and our intentional meeting together with fellow believers to strengthen and encourage one another. The main thing that obstructs our communication is our schedule. We allow ourselves to get so busy that we cut short worship time. We excuse ourselves by saying we will do it later. We isolate ourselves by watching services online, where a ticking clock or a barking dog can distract us from listening and learning – not to mention the fellowship we miss out on by not being present.  

These spiritual practices keep our faith fresh, our focus on Jesus sharp, and our stance against the enemy anchored. When we let things jeopardize the time we invest in our relationship with Jesus, we lose some of the fluency of the Lord’s language. We begin to question His character and motives because we aren’t reinforcing our mind with His faithfulness. The language of the world becomes primary – the voice of truth takes a back seat. We become anxious and self-absorbed.

The Lord says in Matthew 13:15 “For this people’s heart has become calloused; They hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise, they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.”

We are warned in scripture that the enemy seeks to take our minds and hearts away from the Lord. Beware of the warning signs that a blockage is pending. We need to keep the lines to the Lord clear of debris so that nothing occludes our relationship with Him. His Words are valuable, and His character is trustworthy. Having nothing hindering our communication with Him keeps our spiritual systems operating at maximum capacity.