Septic Sin

Last week we had a lot of rain, several inches in a few hours. The warning light on the septic system came on, and so we waited. It has done that before when we have a lot of rain. The water table gets so high that the septic system can't drain properly, but after a day or two without rain it rights itself. Not this time.
We waited without feeling too nervous for about a day and half. Then I started pacing in front of the windows looking out on the warning light. Every hour or so I would wander over and check- still red, hmm. Laundry day here is Thursday, and I was too concerned about letting five loads drain into the system, so we skipped it expecting that Friday would come alarm-free. No.
So Friday I went to the laundromat and relearned the ways of the washer-less. You don't use coins anymore; you buy a card that is swiped in the machines and your total is debited. I skipped my shower, made the boys take shorter showers, washed dishes more carefully, but still the warning light remained.
We went out of town on Sunday afternoon for a few days and hoped fervently that the light would be off when we returned last night. Again, no. So this morning I called to get the system pumped. They came out in a couple of hours and pumped out the tank and station, and told me some sad news. I need a new pump. Say ChChing.
But all of my nervousness about the possible ramifications of the sewage backing up into the house made me start thinking about sin. We all sin and try to hide the sins under ground in a sort of station or tank. The sins stay there moldering in a slimey stew until something bad happens, like a flood. Then, suddenly, the alarm goes off. SIN, SIN, SIN! And we pace back and forth in front of the window hoping that the system doesn't overflow into the house. Praying that no one knows about our smelly issues. Earnestly begging God not to let the failure be expensive.
Fortunately for us, the pump on our salvation system doesn't wear out after ten years. We sin, hide it all, and occasionally have to have the system pumped clean again, but we never have to replace it after it is first put in our lives. Jesus is our "Dr. Pumper", and His sweet fragrance refreshes even the smelliest of the septic sinners.