There’s an old garden hose that’s been lying under the tire of a parked car for years. Pressed down, silent, its shape distorted and its purpose halted. It once carried life—water to nourish, clean, and restore. But under constant pressure, it grew rigid. Useless. Forgotten.
Then one day, the car moves.
The hose doesn’t spring back into a perfect coil. Its form is altered. The groove from the tire remains. But something miraculous happens: the water begins to flow again. Bent? Yes. But not broken. And still capable of doing exactly what it was created to do—perhaps even more intentionally now, because it flows with experience, with purpose, with humility.
Our minds and spirits often endure the same crushing weight.
Stress, addiction, anxiety, trauma—they press on us like that tire. The prefrontal cortex, responsible for clarity, impulse control, and peace, becomes warped under the weight. We lose flexibility. Emotions tighten. Life narrows into mere survival.
But when God, in His mercy, moves the weight—we breathe again.
Spiritual practices like prayer, meditation, and recovery work through AA begin to gently stretch and restore us. The grooves may still be visible. We may not look the way we used to. But healing isn’t about being pristine. It’s about being whole. Bent, but not broken. Still able to carry the water of purpose and peace to others.
Romans 12:2 reminds us:
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.”
The world tells us to be flawless. God invites us to be faithful. It is in the dents, the awkward bends, and the signs of former struggle that we often become most usable. Most compassionate. Most real.
Because even a bent hose can still water a garden.
You were never useless—just waiting for the weight to lift.
Closing Prayer:
God of transformation,
Thank You for moving the weight I once thought would crush me forever.
Even though I carry the bends and dents of my past,
I trust You can still use me.
Renew my mind daily. Let me not seek perfection, but purpose.
Let the water of Your Spirit flow through me again—
to nourish others, to cleanse what’s broken,
and to remind me that I was never unusable, just waiting to be healed.
Amen.
