Like a dirty aquarium....

We are on a new adventure: FISH! A few weeks ago, we were at a GREAT garage sale and found a fishbowl and a bunch of the accessories for $3. The Artist was so excited. She bought it with her own money, and she was thrilled to think about buying her VERY own fish. We bought a betta. The first one died. We're not sure why, but it's probably because I didn't have water conditioner (we were told we didn't need it). We bought another betta and the water conditioner and he, Flame, is still alive. And, he's happy, too.

Well, about two weeks ago, we inherited a 10 gallon aquarium with one fish. To make the transfer to the house, we put him in a carrier and emptied the water. I read online that I shouldn't have to clean the tank completely. I only needed to add new water, water conditioner, and change the filter. As we filled the tank with water, lots of gunk began emerging from below the rocks. It was awful. We decided to let the filter run and see if was any better. It got better so we put the fish in.

Last Friday, Craig and the kids went and bought 6 new fish. Well, one died. We got a new one. Another one died, and another fish had a "growth" on it's head. After talking to the fish expert at a pet store, we discovered that the fish had ICK. In the meantime, another one died. So, we got ICK pills and an aquarium vacuum. We were also told to bring in a water sample after vacuuming. Well, I was determined to take it in because the whole room where the aquarium is smelled like dead fish.

Today I took the water sample in. The fish expert used an abbreviated form of a VERY bad curse word to tell me how BAD our aquarium water was. So I asked what I needed to do. These were the instructions: START OVER. Start over? I am new to this whole aquarium thing. How do you start over? Put the fish in bags. Wash the aquarium and all that's in it with the basic blue Dawn dish soap. Buy 10 gallons of spring water and add two other things I bought from her. I sure hope it works.

I am tired of this aquarium. As I drove away from that big pet superstore with the kids talking in the back ground, I was mumbling quietly about having to put my hands in "icky" aquarium water once again. And I heard the Lord say, "It's just like sin." You see, when we come to the Lord, He completely cleanses us from our sins. We are completely clean. As you know, we continue to sin because we are human. Well, our unconfessed sin is like the mess in my aquarium. The water can look clean, until you begin to move it around a little, and the gunk begins to emerge from under the rocks. We might confess some of it, put in a new filter, do a water change and it will look a little better. But then the water begins to stink. It affects us and everyone around us. Until we confess it all and bring it all to light, sin festers. God is the only one who can cleanse it all and wipe it away.

So, tomorrow morning, I will be changing nasty, stinky, aquarium water. I hope there are no more dead fish. I hope I don't get sick. And I pray this reminds me of how often I need to just START OVER by completely confessing my sin. (1 John 1:9)