Since I was a child I was always seemed to be the sickest child out of my siblings. I got sick on many occasions and have been found to have several chronic illnesses and foolishness, you know the sort of illnesses that are either clearly genetic or your body is acting stupid for no known reason with no known cure sort of foolish.
I didn’t get the best genes in the world; I even had holes drilled in my ears because of infections that made it hard to hear and had my tongue cut from the bottom of my month so I could talk better.
Sometimes I wonder how is it that a sperm that produced a child so messed up managed to win the race of life and what was wrong with every (potential) one else? Why did that egg make me? I think God probably rigged the whole thing and the fact that I could live with so many issues it is sign he wanted me badly. But with all these issues for the most part I didn’t notice too much. If you have pretty much always had something wrong with you it is easily to only acknowledge you are sick with you have something wrong in addition to what you are used to. And that habit led to an important lesson.
One day I had an infection and for some reason there were whitish patches in the back of my throat. A relative asked me how I was doing and I mentioned the problems with my throat but said except for that I was healthy. And he sarcastically responded, yes except for a raging infection in the back of your throat everything is fine. It was then that it occurred to me that if you consider everything is fine except for what is not fine-while also disregarding most if not all of your own problems-hardly anything will be considered wrong at all, but that logic isn’t healthy.
In this world we are born infected with and surround with evil. As David said, “For I was born a sinner— yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.” Psalm 51:5. We may have a genetic tendency for sin, and easily fall into certain sinful behaviors due to our personalities and in some cases we may not know why we may struggle with something. But even worse than having problems is when we become so used to evil we forget we are spiritually sick and ignore the problems altogether. “My wounds fester and stink because of my foolish sins.” Psalm 38:5
In order for us to get better we must acknowledge we are sick. “’Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind. Then when you call, the Lord will answer. “Yes, I am here,” he will quickly reply.’” Isaiah 58:8-9. Tell God about your wounds, don’t ignore certain sins as normal and think, “Well except for that, I’m okay” when you are drying inside.
Ask God like David, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:24-24. “Think of it—the Lord is ready to heal me! I will sing his praises with instruments every day of my life in the Temple of the Lord.” Isaiah 38:20 “’People of Israel, you are unfaithful to me, but come back to me. Come back and I will forgive you for being unfaithful. ‘Just say, “Yes, we will come back, because you are the Lord our God.”’” Jeremiah 3:22
Picture originally found here
