The Lesson of the Kitchen Sink Hose

The Lesson of the Kitchen Sink Hose

Are you old enough to remember this kind of kitchen sink hose? As a kid growing up with five older brothers, this sprayer became a stealth-bazooka in our guerilla tactics for familial supremacy. And it was so simple to weaponize.

When no one was watching, I would simply hunt down a rubber band and wrap it tightly around the trigger several times. I'd aim the sprayer properly, go to another room, then ask a brother to get me a glass of water. Voila! Instantly soaked brother. Of course, a rugby scrum broke out, followed by an argument about who's responsible for cleaning up the Gulf of Mexico in our kitchen. Brothers. Gotta love 'em.

Years later, I realized this classic prank taught me an invaluable life-lesson.

When you flip the kitchen sink handle and start to get sprayed, your immediate reaction is to retreat from the water source. So, you back up a safe distance to stop getting soaked. However, you next realize the only viable solution to the water problem (and you'd better act fast!) is to halt your retreat and go straight back into the water spray. Otherwise ... the Gulf of Mexico.

That's when I realized that the only helpful strategy to water-mitigating (i.e. solving) my problems in life is to stop running away and go straight back in. Unless you tackle the source of the problem, you're not solving the problem at all. And with many problems, the sooner you solve them, the better.

What problem (or person) have you been running away from? Why not stop your retreat and go back in? The longer you wait, the wetter your kitchen is going to get. But even if you're already soaked, Jesus will be right over to help you clean up the mess. But first, go turn the water off.