Don't Forget the Filter !

(I actually wrote this a few months ago but it came to mind again this morning as I was fixing my breakfast!)

This past week a disgusting thing occurred in my kitchen. If you have a weak or queasy stomach you might want to stop reading now! But if you're curious, keep reading. It happened one morning when I poured some hot water from my coffee maker into a cup. I just happened to look over in the cup before dumping in the spoonful of Chai Latte tea that I was making and was greeted with an awful sight! Instead of seeing clear hot water I saw a cup filled with water that looked like it had just been scooped up out of the ditch! There were little flecks of dark things and little stringy hairy looking things floating and swirling around in the water. It made me sick! My first thought was that something awful had happened to our water system. I immediately got a clean clear glass and filled it with water from the tap half expecting to see the same nasty sight that was in my coffee cup. But this water was sparkling clean just as it was supposed to be! I was at a loss as to what in the world had happened to the water in my coffee maker! I showed the messy stuff to my husband and asked him what he thought the problem could possibly be. His immediate response was, "Could it be fibers from your coffee filter?"

The filter!! Immediately I knew what the cause of the problem was. It was the lack of a coffee filter ….not because of it. I use my coffee maker for several things other than coffee. I might throw several regular tea bags in the brewing basket….minus a filter….to make iced tea for Benny. Also I often do the same thing for green tea for myself, or with herbal teas…..again, minus a filter. My thinking was this….the tea is already in a bag….why should I waste a coffee filter making tea? But by omitting the filter, I had made a mess in my coffeemaker! I am sure that some of the tea must have come through the thin bags and lodged inside the brewing basket. So I got out my white vinegar and cleaned my coffeemaker thoroughly….twice! Then I got out a clean filter, put it in the basket and ran a pot of water through ……oh yes!!......just what I was looking for…..sparkling clean water !! I will not forget this lesson quickly because it almost made me sick to think I had probably been drinking my coffee for a few days with all that "tea trash" in it before I realized what was happening!

But it did make me start thinking about the importance of filters in our life. I was surprised at just how many kinds of filters I have right here in my house. There's the air filter, the water filters, the air conditioner filters, and the humidifier filter. On the car there is an oil filter, an air filter and most likely a gas filter. Think about it. Filters are there for a reason. I should have remembered that when using my coffeemaker! We can't just decide we don't want to use a filter and do without it. If we do, whatever the filter is used on will not be in working condition for very long. Take the filter off your air conditioner and it will stop up and not cool. Take the filters off your car and your engine will most likely stop running.

Did you realize that we as human beings also need a filter? We need to filter everything that comes into our life through the Word of God. The things we see, the things we read, the things we listen to, the activities we participate in should all be filtered through the Word of God and what it says about how we should live our lives. Even when we listen to gospel preaching or teaching we need to filter that through what we know the Word of God says and not just take it at face value. Too often we try to put aside the filter and live our lives the way we want to without any restrictions. But leave the filter off too long and you and I will end up with our lives a filthy mess just like my coffee maker was!

Remember these verses from Ephesians 5: 26-27 "That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."

May God bless you today!

Marilyn