My wife and I had felt the feeling before—and things didn’t turn out well.
On one camping trip, our mattress died. My wife and I were tent campers. Not that we didn’t want to be camper campers, but we couldn’t afford the camper at the time. We could, however, afford an air mattress, which was better than sleeping in a sleeping bag on top of a small pad lying on the ground. I had done that before, too, but the aches and pains of aging made that impossible now—if I wanted to get off the ground the following day.
This time, we had awoken to a squishy feeling in the middle of the night. Air mattresses are known to leak a small amount, making it necessary to refill them every several days, but this was different. We had both sunk into the middle of the mattress. No holes appeared; the mattress was simply worn out from age and use.
So, we purchased a new mattress, anticipating our next camping trip as summer arrived. Since we were also in the process of moving three doors down, we figured we would give our new one a try the last two nights in our old place. We inflated the mattress, decorated it with sheets, threw in a few pillows, and settled in for a good night’s sleep—or so we thought.
Two hours into the night, we awoke to that squishy feeling again. Surely not, I thought. This was a new mattress. We got up, mashed the on button, and refilled the mattress. My wife turned off the fan, and a hissing sound broke the night’s silence. After careful inspection, we uncovered the culprit: a pinhole just next to a seam. No way to patch this—and we wouldn’t anyway since the mattress was new. A slow leak, but a slow leak that would eventually land us on the hard floor.
We retired to our recliners for the remainder of the night. The following day, we deflated the half-deflated mattress, boxed it up, and returned it for another. Even slow leaks can take the fun out of sleeping.
Jesus doesn’t sugarcoat one vital truth about life: it’s filled with trials. Sin in the world and people’s lives assures us of that. Besides, God can send trials to teach us important lessons and grow our faith. But Jesus also doesn’t leave out the good news: he has overcome the world—and its trials. If we follow him, we can too.
Sometimes, life’s trials come simultaneously, like the air that suddenly left our old mattress. When that happens, the trials take the air out of us. A tragedy occurs. A child dies. A spouse has a stroke. A pandemic hits the world. We lose a job.
But more often, the trials mimic a slow leak, like our new mattress. They mirror pin holes, which slowly cause our joy to escape. We don’t plunge full-blown into depression and discouragement, but they both creep in gradually. We don’t see them coming, but suddenly, one day, we’re in their grasp.
Life’s trials make refilling necessary. Even air mattresses with no holes need refilling if slept on for more than one day. Weight causes air to escape somewhere. The peace Jesus references comes with the refilling.
And the refilling comes through the same spiritual disciplines God has commanded from the beginning: regular prayer (not just when we’re facing trials), Bible study, and hanging out with others who will support us and give us beneficial spiritual advice.
Joining a small group Bible study and reading good spiritual books are also good ideas.
Further, peace can come by remembering we won’t always sleep on air mattresses that need refilling. One day, after our death or the Second Coming of Christ, we will live in an eternal home where trials are absent. We will have overcome the slow leaks of life.
Don’t let the slow leaks of life’s trials steal your joy.
Father, I pray for strength so the slow leaks of life will not overcome me.
Tweetable: How do you deal with life's slow leaks?
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