Saturday, July 27, 2013

The Splinter

After two days of having a sensitive spot on my hand, I finally checked and realized it was a splinter.  Since it was so late when I noticed, I decided to take care of it first thing the next morning.  You could see the dark speck but almost needed a magnifying glass to make sure all of it was in sight.  Even though it was tiny, it was still causing discomfort.
 
Larry worked to remove the splinter and then I decided that if it was hurting that badly I needed to take over and have a break when I needed it.  Although 99.99% of my hand was fine, that 0.01% had my full attention.  It was obvious that if I wanted the discomfort of the splinter in my hand relieved then I needed to be willing to put up with a little extra pain for the desired result.  Once the splinter was successfully removed, there was relief and I immediately made sure the skin was thoroughly cleansed.  The hand was pampered and protected so that the tiny spot had the best chance to heal completely. 
 
I’ve thought about that splinter this week and how it, in a way, parallels sin in my life.
 
* Even though I may not know the source immediately, I know and feel the irritation and discomfort when things are not as they should be.
 
* I need to be intentional about discovering what is not right.
 
* When the sin is identified, I don’t need to wait until the next morning or a later time to deal with it.
 
* 99.99% can be going well, but my sin will be the focus until it is confessed and forgiven.
 
* I need to have a plan and implement it.
 
* Even though there is initial pain with sin, sometimes the pain and remorse increases before it can be better.
 
* Once the “sin” has been removed, it is important to make sure the source has been cleaned out and stays that way.
 
* I need to protect myself and be on the alert to keep that from happening again.
 
* There is relief, hope, and cleansing when forgiveness occurs.
 
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
I John 1:9

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