Have you ever tried to use a very long hose? I was doing this the other day like I always do , to water my goats, chickens , pigs,  and to  add water to my aquaponic fish tanks .  I do this same routine every day , but today … after I pulled the hose into the barn …. No water came out of the water hose.  I knew I had turned it on , so I pulled it thinking I could loosen the kink.  I pulled and pulled. I tried to avoid having to walk all the way back to “ check the hose line” . I knew that if I pulled on it  hard enough it would  straighten out the kink, or so I thought.  I tried really hard to avoid this and I pulled and pulled and pulled some more.  I really believed that I could fix it by pulling. It was really hot outside and I really really didn’t want to walk  all the way back .  Eventually I realized that I was going to have to walk back and check for the problem.  So I walked from the end of my hose all the way back to the faucet.  Right next to  the faucet there was a very small kink.  It was not a big one but just enough to stop the water flow.  As I reached down to take the kink out….all of a sudden ….. There it was ! I had a “ prompting “ or a “ thought’ …..As soon as I reached down to grab the hose ….I started to have these thoughts ….

“ Sometimes in our lives we try to do something and we try so hard to do it on our own energy or force it to happen because we think  it will work , or we think we know what is best for someone else”.

We try to “ push forward” but it’s so important to  pause and breathe and “ look” and check ourselves  and most importantly …. Go back to the “ source” and take a few minutes to see if “the line is open”.

This was a lesson for me to remember that I don’t control the water hose, or the water coming out of it, or the speed of the water which really meant to me that I can’t control certain aspects of my life and especially those of others. I can move the hose , make it straight , and turn on the faucet, but I don’t control how the water helps my animals and my fish. Sometimes I try to “ force” things to go the way I think they should.  This kink in my water hose reminds me to “ check myself” to see if I have a “ kink” in my spirit ,or if I feel anxious, stressed, irritated , resentful, etc., I know it’s important to get myself “straight” so things can flow easily from the “ source” through me.  I also know that this will help me hear the promptings much clearer . Although this kinked water hose was annoying , it turned out to be an opportunity  for me to understand and learn more about following the “ promptings” or “ gut feelings”.  I am thankful .