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That's Not Hot! This Is Hot!

It happened on a Monday. And why not? Mondays aren't meant for Disney World trips or winning the lottery. Mondays are for rude wake-up calls. And nothing, my friends, is more rude than a cold shower. This was not the fault of the women in my home. No, I've felt the last vestiges of hot water quickly flee down the drain, causing me to quicken my showering procedures. This was cold water with no hint that hot water even existed...ever...anywhere.

A trip to the basement revealed a water heater that was not working. Identifying the problem also ended my expertise on the situation. A call to the plumber revealed we were the lucky owners of a unit with a left-handed thermal coupler. Now, I don't know what that means, but apparently it was like finding gold at the end of a rainbow, because nobody had one. 

Even the makers of this unit only sold conversion units in order to make it a right-handed thermal coupler. But the good news didn't end there. Before ordering my part, they informed me my unit was past when it could be trusted to keep working. Monday morning now introduced me to a bill I was not expecting; a new water heater. 

But we took the plunge. Hooray home ownership! Yet, 27 hours later found us enjoying a new unit.

My wife made an interesting comment after her first shower with the new water heater working. She pointed out that we have lived in this house for over 4 years. We learned to set the knobs to get the desired, or almost desired, temperature. We had no idea that our water heater wasn't giving us the optimal showering experience. We assumed we knew what hot showers felt like. 

Then we got what should appropriately be called the Hot Showerinator 3000 Deluxe. What's left of my skin as I type this, feels very warm and toasty. I did not have to remove the cold water in order to maintain warmth. In fact, I kept the cold water on for fear of needing to call first responders from the burn unit. 

This is often our predicament spiritually as well. 

Before we knew Christ we had our theories on how this world worked. After we come to know Christ, our eyes are opened to a new reality. Our minds and hearts are made new, now able to understand what once was kept from us. Perhaps this truth should be a factor as we speak to people who do not yet know Jesus. Maybe we should keep in mind that the level of maturity we now maintain is not the maturity we will one day achieve. 

The Bible tells us we only see a shadow right now. Paul worded it this way;

"For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known" ~1 Corinthians 13:12. 


One day we'll see things as they actually are. We'll experience reality in its most only realistic form and we'll ponder how we ever saw things differently.
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