The agony of a water crisis is a harsh reality for millions worldwide. And it’s better imagined than experienced. *When there is no water, life becomes a struggle!* It’s true that while life can be challenging without electricity, it’s nearly impossible without access to clean water.

For a couple of months now, we’ve been facing a severe water crisis where we live. As a result, we’ve had to rely on buying water from tanker supplies. This crisis has also forced us to be more mindful of our water usage, and we’re now using water more rationally.

This was not our experience when we first moved into the apartment. There’s a borehole in the compound to ensure constant supply of water for every household use. But suddenly we discovered that the pumping machine was not supply water anymore. Initially we thought it was due to the season of the year when rainfall is hardly seen. So we endured the crisis until the raining season set in. To our surprise, there was no water still.

When we first moved into the apartment, our experience was different. The compound has a borehole that was supposed to ensure a constant water supply for every household need. However, we suddenly discovered that the pumping machine had stopped supplying water. Initially, we thought it was due to the dry season when rainfall is scarce. We endured the crisis, expecting relief with the onset of the rainy season. But to our surprise, the water shortage persisted even after the rains arrived.

At this point, we had to put more pressure on the landlord to take action. Eventually, he sent a plumber to inspect the submerged pumping machine, suspecting a possible fault.

It was an arduous task, watching the plumber pull out the water pipes sunk deep into the ground and inspect them one by one. Eventually, he found a pipe with a small crack at its base. With a saw, he quickly cut away the damaged section. I watched with skepticism and asked, “Could this be the cause of the problem?” The plumber replied calmly, “It’s possible.” With that, he began to reinsert the pipes into the soil, one after the other.

Before he reinserted the final pipe, he asked me to switch on the pump to check if water would flow. It was both a great surprise and delight for us as water gushed out freely!

IT BECAME A MATTER OF BOTH WARNING AND PRAYER TO MY LIFE: THE FAULT WAS VERY LITTLE BUT THE CONSEQUENCE WAS VERY HUGE!

A small blockage, a minor fault, or a tiny sin can hinder the abundant flow of God’s blessings in my life and through me. Unconfessed sin, unforgiveness, a little lie, or a moment of disobedience can shut the heavens of mercy and grace upon a life. Similarly, little acts of stinginess, mockery, wrong treatment of your spouse or prayerlessness can plunge a life into a season of struggle and stress. The lives of biblical characters like Adam, Moses, King Saul, and Jonah serve as cautionary tales about the devastating consequences of seemingly small sins.

Just as the pumping machine needed to be checked to identify the fault, we too need to examine our lives to pinpoint the source of our struggles. Without this self-examination, the root cause of our stress might remain unknown. By running a ‘diagnostic check’ on our lives, we can uncover the underlying issues and take steps towards resolution.

_Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. *Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it.* 2 Corinthians 13 :5 MSG_

Are you struggling with your prayer life? Run the check. Are you no longer hearing God again as before? Run the check. Are things not going fine in your marriage? Run the check. Is Bible reading becoming boring and uninteresting to you again? Run the check. Are you beginning to lose your passion, zeal and zest for the things of God? Run the check. Are you getting unnecessarily agitated and irritated on a small matter? Run the check.

Take time out and examine yourself. Take a pause and test it out. Go for a retreat and run the check. If you fail the test, do something about it. An error discovered but not corrected leaves you the same as before.

*Song of Songs 2:15*_

*Catch the foxes, the little foxes,before they ruin our vineyard in bloom.*_

I called you blessed!

Your Brother In Christ

Kehinde Bolutife.