The Kitchen Sink

Written by Steve McPeters

My wife and I live in a house that was built in the early 60’s and sometimes it develops home repair issues. For several years we had experienced some issues with the spigot in the kitchen sink. Being unable to find a replacement spigot due to the unique shape of the sink and finding no way to repair the existing spigot, we had postponed replacing the sink and spigot until a recent Friday morning when the spigot came off in my hand just as I was heading off to work. So that Friday evening I undertook one of those “simple” home improvement repairs of replacing the kitchen sink. Simple actually meant that it took all of my spare time Friday night and Saturday and only four trips to two different local home improvement warehouses to complete the repair successfully.

Sounded simple enough to just remove the old sink and spigot and replace with a new sink and spigot right? Well not exactly. The old sink and spigot came out just as expected. Purchasing the new sink and spigot was not as simple since we had to choose from all different colors, shapes, functions and styles. Installing new the spigot and sink was not as simple as instructions on the packaging. Could have been my home repair skills but on my third trip to the home improvement warehouse to pick up and or replace parts I met a friend who was also on his third trip of his weekend to pick up and or replace parts that he needed to replace his kitchen sink. I haven’t asked him if he had to go back for a fourth trip.

The extra trips to pick up and or replace parts were a bit annoying and delayed completion of the project. While we had been careful to read the packaging before purchasing the items; when we opened the package we were surprised to find items missing or not exactly the same as the description or pictures on the outside of the package. We had to ask a salesperson at the store to open the packages so that we could see what was actually inside, and as it turns out they were as surprised as we were on what they found inside. Eventually we found all the necessary parts and now have a new kitchen sink and spigot.

The kitchen sink project was a good reminder to me to be careful when I purchase items that are in a package; but more importantly it was a great reminder that my daily walk with Christ is even more important to the people that I come in contact with each day. If I claim to be a Christian but fail to be Christ-like when I encounter people as I go about my day, then I am not what I have packaged myself to be. What is that person expecting to see in me when we meet? Do I bring frustration, confusion and disappointment into their life or do I bring encouragement, hope and joy? Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth.” As salt enhances the flavor of food so am I to enhance the lives of those that I encounter. Jesus goes on to tell us in that same verse “But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled on by men.” I do not want to be a discarded part in someone else’s life because of what they saw in my life when they encountered me. How about you?