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It's amazing what you can learn from a faucet

Before we purchased our first home, our friends warned Carrie and me about the many “minor” repairs that would inevitably come along. I was confident, however, that my brief experience in seventh grade pre-vocational welding and small engine repair had prepared me for whatever difficulties might arise.

My first major test involved a corroded faucet on our bathtub. Once I verified the problem required no seventh-grade-level welding, and that the faucet had no small engine to repair, I realized I was in trouble.

I drove to the hardware store and picked out a shiny new faucet. I also bought a 15-pound all-inclusive home repair manual that promised to lead me through the process.

The manual said that it's simple to replace a faucet. To remove the old faucet, simply turn it with your hands counter-clockwise until it screws off the pipe. If by some chance the faucet won't turn, the manual said to insert the handle of a hammer into the spout of the faucet, then use the hammer as leverage to unscrew it. It gave no further instructions, assuming that the hammer trick couldn't fail. Sounded like a breeze!

I attempted to hand-turn the faucet, as the manual instructed, but without success-the old faucet wouldn't turn. Then, again as the manual instructed, I used the handle of a hammer as leverage, fully expecting the faucet to come right off.

Again, my efforts were in vain. I struggled. Strained and grimaced. Beads of sweat appeared on my brow as I used every bit of energy and strength my pencil-pushing-keyboard-typing hands and arms could marshal, but the stubborn thing wouldn't budge.

After I agonized for a solid 60 minutes, frustration and eventually anger replaced my confident high hopes. The faucet was so corroded it simply wouldn't turn.

I finally decided just to tear the thing off.

Carrie saw me with a hacksaw and got worried: “Shouldn't you just call a plumber?” With my best Tim the Toolman impression, I assured her I could handle it myself.

Using a hacksaw and pliers I began to rip and tear. The flurry of blades, arms, tools, and scraps created havoc in our once peaceful bathtub.

Guess what? It worked! Piece by piece, fragment by fragment, I tore and cut away the old faucet until the corroded threads were visible and accessible. Using an appropriate chemical and the hacksaw, I cut through the threads until what remained of the now-mangled faucet slipped off with ease.

If I had continued to twist and turn the old faucet, I'd still be there today. The only way to remove the old was to just rip it off.

Ever tried to get rid of a sinful habit? Perhaps you are today. Are you just twisting and turning? Changing it around so that it looks different, thinking that'll take care of the problem? “Sure, what I said wasn't true; but it isn't lying if you have good intentions.” “I'm okay-I could stop any time I want to.” And the classic, “I just buy the magazine for the articles.”

Learn from my faucet experience-when corrosion is involved (such as the corrosion of sin), twisting and turning will do nothing but increase frustration. Sometimes you have to just rip and tear until every last scrap is gone. Jesus stated the same principle: “If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away” (Matthew 5:30).

We no longer live in that house; I miss it a bit. Especially the faucet in the hallway bathroom. It's quite amazing what you can learn from a faucet.