Drain the Swamp - January 2019

Psalm 51:10-13

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit.

Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You.

The phrase "drain the swamp" has been firmly planted in our vocabulary. Virtually every day we hear the phrase on radio, television or the internet.

It's not just the government where things can become entrenched and embedded. Things take root in any organization or group and even in our personal lives. We become accustomed to the comfortable and the familiar. We are resistant to change.

We can expect two things to happen when a swamp is drained. First, those people or habits that live in the swamp fight more ferociously as their refuge begins to disappear and they are exposed. This is human nature. It's a fight for survival. I've heard it said that the best way to end a bad habit is to starve it. Take away its source of nourishment. It will eventually wither and die. Don't just try to end a habit cold turkey. Stop feeding it. Those habits or destructive things in our lives won't necessarily die easily but draining the swamp and exposing what lies below is part of the process.

Secondly, as a swamp is drained we need to be aware that what we find on the bottom probably won't be pleasant and it will probably smell. It's not just draining the swamp but cleaning up those things that have been hidden beneath the surface. This can take time as things that are mired in the mud and muck can't be extricated easily. It might require putting on some waders and manually prying them loose.

All of us have some swamp, some part of our life that needs to be drained and renewed. As with the psalmist, all of us should cry, "Create in me a clean heart, O God."

Steve