The Leaky Faucet

The leaky faucet,  aka…Chinese torture device, the eventual watering hole for the dog or the annoying drip, drip, drip from your bathroom.  Unless it’s being used as a torture device this leak can go on for days, weeks, months and yes even years believe it or not.  I personally let one go for a long time under a sink for the simple fact I did not think it was hurting anything.  There was hardly any water there, just the occasional drip. 

However over time the leak did become worse, dripping more and more. Finally I saw that the drip was worse but still not too concerned, I put a bucket under it.  That would take care of the problem.  Boy was I wrong.  Eventually I was pouring out that bucket every day.  The boards underneath ended up warped and molded from it splashing and running over. 

The leaky faucet could have been fixed as soon as I saw it but I didn’t want to.  I didn’t want to take the time and effort when I first saw the problem.  Mainly because I didn’t think it would be that big of a deal until it was too late. 

We can look at problems within our marriage the same way.  A lack of desire can go unfixed for years causing severe emotional problems not only for our husbands but for ourselves.  It can cause depression and further lack of libido.  Which for most married men, is pretty much that Chinese torture device for a slow and painful death.  Ultimately ruining what could have been a very happy marriage because it became a chore that we were unwilling to fix, regardless of what God says. 

1 Corinthians 7:3

³ The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband.

So from one problem into another like that leaky faucet and rotting boards is the casual viewing of pornographic pictures, videos, or reading of erotic novels that can spiral into addictions for our husbands (or vice versa) if not “fixed” when they are first recognized as temptations.  

Those drips that were no big deal, ARE the sins that can and will cause further, possibly, irreversible damage to the whole family if not fixed before it’s too late.       

Psalm 32:3

³ When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away Through my groaning all day long.

Why are these problems overlooked by both husband and wife?  Well... because TV has glorified this particular problem to the point that couples even joke to other couples about it.  It has become a normal thing for married couples to not have sex.  If you will...like those warped wet boards, our views on sex and marriage become warped too. 

So how and when does sex stop in a marriage?  For most couples once the honeymoon is over, the kids are born and the wife has lost interest (because she no longer wants to have babies) and the husband is frankly just tired of asking.  That’s when it stops!   

And so begins the leaky faucet….