Muddy Water

The muddy water that I am referring to in the title is not a cocktail drink called, Muddy Water that is made with Italian liqueur; mixed with orange and lemon juices, nor is it the thirst quenching iced tea—Betty Crocker’s Muddy Water; tea mixed with water, lemonade concentrate, and orange juice concentrate.  Muddy water that I am writing about is just that, water that is unfit for human consumption.

Not far from my parents’ house was a large marsh that was nestled amongst cattails; reeds of which were tall, slender grasses with plume-like inflorescences that grew along the water’s edge; quite dense in some areas around the perimeter.

When I was a youngster in preadolescence, tween as it is now called, I would walk or ride my bicycle the three miles to play there; my favorite spot to hang out with my friends.  Like most kids my age, I was naïve and somewhat mischievous; tempting fate at times without really knowing it.

The body of water had no outlet.  It was without motion or current, and foul from lack of movement, which produced stagnation.  There was no aeration system that would shoot streams of water high into the air through fountains; keeping the water oxygenated like ponds around office buildings that were incorporated with beautifully, landscaped surroundings. 

The muddy water of the marsh in this story was a breeding ground for mosquitoes, amoeba, and a host of other parasitic protozoa that lived in the quagmire.  It was a dumping place for all types of contaminants and, no doubt, feces from septic tanks of older houses that overlooked the swamp on the Southeast ridge.

My parents would have had a conniption if they were privy to what I was doing, because of the unsanitary conditions of the bog.  Places such as this encourage the acute viral disease of polio, which is manifested by means of contaminated feces.  Polio can produce temporary or permanent paralysis and even death, and enters the body through the mouth. 

Little did I know I was in harms way when I played pirates with my buddies as we floated on a makeshift raft that we commandeered from a couple of other boys.  We maneuvered the raft around the marsh by pushing long sticks into the mucky sediment, which stirred up the dregs; producing a higher intensity of muddy water.

It is a miracle that we didn’t step on broken glass or other unseen hazards when we pushed the raft away from shore to deeper water that would accommodate the weight of all us boys.  We were oblivious to potential danger as we sunk deep into the mire, feeling it squish between our toes as we waded knee deep in filth.  This was part of the excitement and adventure of having fun.

The saying, “Kids will be kids” can apply to adults as well.  How many times has God protected us from unseen perils and pitfalls that Satan placed in our pathway, which were meant for our demise as we unknowingly trekked through the devil’s cesspool of danger? 

In ignorance, we sometimes act like kids having fun; failing to notice the muddy water that we are playing in; totally unaware of the dangers that lurk within our environment, because Satan blinds us with desire and the thrill of having fun.  I believe that we would be shocked to know of the things surrounding us that God does not permit to touch our lives.  We should thank Him daily for His protection.

(1 Corinthians 10:13), “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to ma; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

When a person fails to examine the substandard conditions that they are amidst; trying to satisfy their curiosity, or quench their thirst for fulfillment, excitement, and adventure, and perhaps searching out reasons for living, they can easily ingest muddy water, which contains a multitude of impurities that, like polio, not only affects their ability to walk a Spirit filled life, but can kill them physically and spiritually as well.

Death lurks in the filth of muddy water, whereas, life resides in the purity of the springs of living water that flow from God’s throne.  This unpolluted water is health to body and spirit; rich and most vital to our well-being.

When I was living in sin, my immediate surroundings were that of muddy water; full of unclean things.  I was sinking deeper into sin; over my head in waste; going down for the third time as pollutants filled my mouth and inner being.  In desperation I thrust my hand upward, and to my surprise someone grabbed it and pulled me to safety.  It was Jesus, the Son of God.

He revived me by doing CPR (Christ Paid Redemption) on me.  Jesus removed the contaminates from my body that were killing me, which was sin, as I lay prostrate before Him.  He put His loving arms around me and said, “I give you life, because I gave mine for you on the cross.”  No longer would I muck my way through life in the fecal sediment of muddy water.

Jesus Christ cleansed me of the filth that worldly living produced.  My soul was set free from the muddy water of sin.  No longer need I wallow in the quagmire of unclean living as a child of darkness; a place where my vision was blinded by Satan.  I now reside in the light and health of forgiveness and the purity of God’s love, through Jesus.  I am washed clean by God’s fountain of grace.

Written by,

Papa Boyd