Please Fix Me, Lord: Lessons from a Thanksgiving Basement Leak (Profound)

Friends, I want to welcome you to today’s post. I truly hope you’ll read it intently and take its message to heart.

This post highlights an intriguing personal story—a basement leak that turned into a profound metaphor for trusting in God’s ability to repair not just what’s broken in our homes but what’s broken in our hearts.

Ready? Let’s go!

The Moment I Discovered the Leak

Thanksgiving is typically a time of gratitude, family, and food. But this past Thanksgiving, I found myself confronted with more than just turkey and stuffing! What started as a minor inconvenience became an eye-opening lesson on trusting God fully, avoiding shortcuts in life, and allowing Him to do the deep, restorative work in my heart.

So…it all began when I ventured into the basement to do some laundry. As I approached the laundry room, I could hear the unmistakable sound of running water, as if the faucet had been left on. Odd. But it got stranger. Cautiously, I checked the pipe under the water meter and saw a steady stream of water, confirming my worst fear—there was a leak!

I knelt to trace the water source, and there it was. The sealant used to “fix” a prior leak had given way, along with what remained of some duct tape. Yes, you read that right- DUCT TAPE! I remember saying out aloud, “Are you kidding me? They painted over the duct tape with rubber sealant?”

A Lesson from the First “Fix”

So let’s rewind…

Approximately five years ago, I hired someone to “fix” the leak when it first showed up. Trust me, I’m so embarrassed as I write this. I hired an unlicensed handyman—a fast talker who promised swift solutions. All he did was waterproof the area. And I’ve found out the hard way that he used polythene sheets, rubber sealant, and, you guessed it, duct tape. He totally skipped the source of the leak and did some shoddy patchwork.

All this time, I convinced myself I had saved time and money. But deep down, I knew I took the easy way out. Sure, it felt resolved for a little while. But in reality, those “fixes” were shortcuts, temporary solutions for something that needed a full repair.

Doing It the Right Way

This time, I didn’t call the smooth-talking handyman. I called a licensed, local plumbing company—experts who knew what they were doing.

The news? The problem wasn’t minor. This was a major leak that couldn’t be patched up. It required significant repairs—including replacing the service line entirely. When the crew came with large trucks on my property, my neighbors started to check up on me (so sweet!). At one point, there were three trucks on site, and they took over the entire cul-de-sac. So I knew that there was no going back! This wasn’t just about sealing it off but addressing the root of the issue, even if it came at a higher cost.

The professionals brought in a crew, including inspectors, specialists, and diggers, who worked in tandem with the local water commission. It wasn’t a speedy process (it took days), and it wasn’t cheap, but it was the right process.

When they replaced the service line and made the necessary repairs, the results were undeniable. Not only was the leak gone, but our water pressure improved, and the quality of the water flowing into our home was noticeably better. Taking the longer, more involved route paid off in more ways than one.

The Leak as a Metaphor for Life

Standing in my newly fixed basement, I realized the leak was bigger than the pipes in my home—it was a metaphor for the areas of my life where I had tried to take shortcuts instead of allowing God to do His deep, restorative work. As I write this, I’m still astounded because I realize how much this leak mirrored areas of my life.

I think about the times when I’ve relied on “duct tape and sealant” to deal with struggles or areas of brokenness in my heart. Instead of facing hard truths or walking through the process God set before me, I reached for temporary fixes. I wanted quick results without the pain of extraction or repair.

Can I be honest? Recently, I wanted to skip the hard, messy parts of healing. I’d been praying for God to fix things instantly when He was inviting me to take the long but worthwhile route of restoration. Just as patching up the faulty pipes didn’t solve the underlying issue, self-directed “solutions” in life won’t address what only God’s hands can heal.

Please Let King Jesus Fix It (Bombshell Alert!)

After reflecting on my experience with the leaky pipes and learning the hard way about the dangers of taking shortcuts, I decided to do some research on the local plumbing company that helped me fix the issue. To my surprise, I discovered that their name had a deeper meaning – it translated to “Lord, Sovereign, or King.”  Do you mean the KING fixed my pipes? LOL

But in all seriousness, it struck me then that God truly works in mysterious ways. He used this seemingly “out-there” situation to teach me an important lesson about trust and patience in His process. And now, even more so, seeing how He orchestrated a company with such a meaningful name to come into my life at just the right time.❤️

My Parting Shot…

Friends, let’s not settle for temporary fixes. Instead, let’s trust in the King of Kings, Jesus Christ, to fix our brokenness and restore us completely.

Song dedication: Here is an African song about being broken, including a prayer stating, “Please Fix Me, Lord.”

P.S. I believe we are in the Year of Redeeming the Time by the Grace of God. Please allow King Jesus to redeem whatever situation you are in. Trust God’s process and allow Him to heal you today.

P.P.S. In case you are curious, no personal property was damaged in the basement. It was only the leak that I discovered as soon as it started. God is so loving, kind, and merciful.❤️

Hugs,