So here’s the short version of a much longer story. I fell in love with a house. It had a well. Brad said it would be a constant headache. We bought it anyway. And while I can’t say it’s been a constant headache, I can definitely say that it has a fairly persistent challenge.

So the latest well dilemma is turbidity. Seriously, who ever thought I would need such a word in my daily vocabulary? I’m sure there is some complicated definition that well people can expound on, but I’ll define it as this: muck in the water. So much muck that it stops up the filters in the well house. So much muck that it prevents adequate water pressure to the house. Help. Me. Please.

So last night we’re outside. I’m attempting to water plants. Too much muck. So Brad is in the well house changing filters yet again. That’s when we hear it. I wasn’t sure which dog it was, but I know the sound of “save me” when I hear it. We both went running. I was convinced before I ever got to the yard that one of my Yorkies had been bitten by a snake.

Well not exactly.

Duchess, my full-figured Yorkie, had managed to get her fat head stuck in the gate. And here’s what’s interesting, we’ve lived here six years. She has never once done that. Attempting to pry her head out was not going to be possible, so instead I used my “I am calm, but you are a dumb dog” voice to soothe her while Brad removed the gate.

Muck and stuck. That’s life at the Kendrick house, people.

And that’s also life in our world. There is a lot of muck. And if we’re not careful, that muck will so clog our thinking and pollute our hearts until we find ourselves stuck in a place we’ve never been before and we didn’t intend to be. The only way to avoid the muck and stuck is guarding our hearts. Proverbs 4:23 reminds us, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Paul says it a little more bluntly in Colossians 3 when he tells us to set our hearts on things above and put to death things of this world.

There’s a good chance that if we find ourselves stuck, we’ve failed to guard our hearts from the muck of this world. Vigilant protection looks like faithful obedience. It either happens or it doesn’t with every choice we make.

May we know Him and make Him known!