Simple, Stubborn, Sober

 Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour. — I Peter 5:8 NRSV
 

Natural organic compounds and other marine plant matter are always as work to cause stubborn brown stains on a boat's hull. Removing the stains requires much elbow grease.
 

Then, a kind neighbor told us about a special bottled solution. We sprayed it, and voila! The stains melted away! We had been given a simple answer to a stubborn, plaguing problem.
 

Sometimes God provides a simple, effective solution to the stubborn stains in our lives. Other times, we have to be the stubborn party — persistently working away at a problem area like the example below of removing barnacles from the boat's hull. The spray mentioned above doesn't work on barnacles.
 

Someone I know and respect has been in recovery for years now. Staying clean requires vigilance and regular attendance at weekly meetings. It's not a "voila" situation — instead, it's a "keep at it" effort with effective results!
 

PRAYER
God of all time, help me to be ever vigilant in warding off the activity of the enemy. Show me simple solutions when they exist. Otherwise, give me persistence and faith in the daily pursuit of a holy life.
 

QUOTE
Be patient with everyone, but above all with yourself.  
 — St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622), Introduction to the Devout Life, Part III, Chapter 9
 

To see the original photo and video that accompany this devotion, along with a Visio Divina exercise, visit Simple, Stubborn, Sober