I have chronic pain. I'm not using "chronic pain" in the medical sense, because that refers to pain that persists with no cause. My pain has a cause; it's just not something that can be fixed without big risks. It's chronic in the everyday, literal sense, meaning it's always -- almost always -- there and doesn't go away. It's a result of the intestinal adhesion that my Crohn's symptoms have caused in my right side. On a normal day, I feel like someone is stabbing me in my side with a knife. I try to live with the pain, but I know it affects me. Pain harms mental functioning and lowers quality of life.
Sin is a little bit like that. A sin problem doesn't just go away. It sits in a corner of our hearts, eating at us. We may think we've "learned to live with it" because "that's just the way we are." How often have we done this? We have an anger problem, but we excuse it. We gossip, but it's just normal. We look to something besides God to fulfill us. We let our "little" problem with lying, porn, or overindulgence just stay right where it is. And we think it's not that big of a deal. We fail to realize the damaging toll sin takes on our spiritual life. The quality of our relationship with God is severely harmed when we fail to address the "way I am" and bring it to the cross of Christ.
Fixing a sin problem has big risks. In fact, it kills a part of us every single time. But it's worth it. I have to live with an intestinal adhesion, but you and I never have to live with the sin that threatens to destroy us spiritually. We have an advocate with our Father, Jesus Christ, and He's willing to do whatever it takes to bring us to perfect spiritual health.
Have you ever felt like sin is a lot like a nagging pain? What can we do to ease this pain?
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Comments (8)
Sorry, Revelife, I thought people would go for this one
Great post Amy! I totally agree with that comparison. Nagging sin is a burden and can definitely weight you down. My hubby deals with headaches 24/7 365 days of the year - for almost 9 years. We don't know why ---- he's seen a plethora of specialists both in the medical and alternative fields, and so far everyone has said "we're sorry, we don't know what to do anymore". So he can totally relate to your experience. He sometimes describes his pain as feeling like his brain will burst out the top of his head, and sometimes he describes it "as a red hot poker against my forehead". Lovely - just like yours. And we wonder why, don't we? TRUST. God's plan is greater than we can imagine, and His sovereignty over every aspect of our lives is what carries us through. Praying you'll receive strength to cope with the "thorn" you've been given --- and praying for restoration as well. Thanks for an encouraging post!
@nicolevw@xanga - Thanks, Nicole. Those headaches sound crazy. I know of one woman who had a similar situation, and it turned out to be completely dental-after she had been to a billion specialists. Her dentist had left something metal in her jaw that wasn't supposed to be there. In her case, though, the headaches were related to the area where the problem was. Amazing how the specialists miss things. I'll be praying for your husband.
Amen, excellent post. Some sins seem to hang on like an incurable affliction, and your encouragement is good - that we never stop resisting and seeking Jesus' help. Prayers to you (and Nicole's husband).
@Pickwick12@xanga - You shouldn't get down, I don't think Monday morning is the best time for new posts; people tend to read in the evenings.
I think in some cases, people would go for this one, but the medical feel of it makes the reader feel like they might be entering a world they might not like.
Kudos for mentioning that fixing a sin problem causes some kind of death. That's information. Even if no-one reads, you got that on yourself, and that makes your future brighter, knowing you know that.
"We have an advocate with our Father, Jesus Christ, and He's willing to
do whatever it takes to bring us to perfect spiritual health."
Thank you, for reminding us that God is after our Spirit, God is LOOKING for our Spirit, and God IS our Spirit. And the body may suffer to get our Spirit perfect before God, but if Christ could take on a Cross, I think we can take on our aches and pains.
(i'm questioning myself, whether I should capitalize "Spirit" in reference to man. Does man have a spirit? Or does a man's spirit get replaced by God's spirit when he is saved?) Can someone help me out on that?
@Pickwick12@xanga - Not to mention today is a holiday for a lot of people, so site views in general are down today! It's not you, I promise. :D
Ah, but some of us come and read the posts the next day! Great post! Isn't it interesting how we will go to great lengths to get to the bottom of our physical discomforts (migraine sufferer here) but are not always so quick to pursue relief from the "sins that so easily entangle us"? We do get very used to "the way we are" and discount the toll that an apathetic view of sin will take on us.
I am a wife and mom of four kids. I have become quite convicted lately of the manner in which we relate to one another in our family. It would be easy to say "that's just how we are," or "its a lot of joking around", or "teenagers will be teenagers," or worse yet, "we do so much better than others around us!" When we provoke one another or respond with irritation - that is SIN! And like an infection, it can grow and become a chronic pain and drain. We need to pursue spiritual health and healing with an even greater zeal than we pursue physical health and healling. It starts with being brutally honest about sin in our lives.