Allergies

Most every year, I seem to get a good dose of Poison Ivy. I haven’t gotten it yet this year, but the past couple of years I always seem to get it during the winter months. For those of you who have never had Poison Ivy, let me explain that you don’t even need to touch or handle the plant to get it. In fact the past several years I’ve gotten it, has been thanks to my oldest son who’s “given” it to me. You see, my son loves to go out into the fields and woods behind our house and build club-houses and just hang out and explore. Then, when he comes home, he unknowingly “gives” me this pestilence. The allergens from the plant are all over his clothes. Sometimes I can just touch his clothes, other times the allergens just travel through the air and get on me. I don’t even realize what has happened until the next day when I start to see the reaction on my skin, and the unmistakable itching that comes with the reaction.

I’ve been thinking for a while about things in my own life, that I’ve been “carrying” around, and how it affects others around me. Do I offend others knowingly? Do I offend others unknowingly? Do I continue to carry things around in my life even if I know that it affects others? Or do I try to remove the exposed and filthy clothing and clean up my life so that I no longer offend? Or, am I satisfied with my situation and care not how I might affect my brother or sister in Christ? I would say that over the past couple of years, I have made a very strong effort to remove those infected clothes that I’ve been wearing – those hypocritical garments that were stained with sin. The Lord has been working on me and in me and has shown me that “His grace was sufficient for me.” I’ve been learning that on my own, I cannot stand perfect in front of God, but it’s only through being immersed into his blood, by partaking of the only sacrifice that can remove my sins that I’m able to stand in front of God – with confidence knowing that when He looks at me he does not see my sins, but He sees His own son’s blood covering my body.

Yes. I sin. I sin every day, unfortunately with this or that. With one thing or another, whether it’s doing something I shouldn’t or not doing something I should. But, what matters is that I should not feel hopeless, helpless, and simply give up trying. It’s when I’ve given up that Satan has won the battle. It’s the point when I stop trying or caring that Jesus’ blood no longer covers me. It’s those times in my life when I infect others with my wrongs and cause someone to stumble that affect me the most. I feel the worst when I’ve done something either to someone or around someone and made that person think less of me.

Remember the story found in Luke 7:36-50 when a Pharisee [considered himself righteous by his strict obedience to the old law (legalism)] invited Jesus to his house for dinner. When a sinful woman who lived in the town heard that Jesus was there, she came to the home, knelt down and began crying and kissing Jesus’ feet – pouring her tears onto his feet, scrubbing his feet with her hair, then anointing his feet with expensive perfume. When the Pharisee saw what was going on, he watched and waited to see what would happen. I could also see in my minds eye, that as she walked in, he took a deep breath and held it - so as not to become infected. He knew the history of this woman. He knew that she carried around sin in her life just like an infected person carries around sickness or allergens that might also infect others. But he waited to see what Jesus would do with her. You see, these Pharisees would not even come close to a woman like this for fear of being “contaminated” and “associated” with this sinful person. In their own minds, the “righteous” Pharisees should not even be around this “sinner”, and they thought that neither should Jesus. But by her act of repentance, by her sacrifice and offering to Jesus, by her great love that she gave the son of God, Jesus was moved with compassion for this person. He forgave her sins. Again, in my own mind, all those Pharisees finally collapsed and fell out from holding their breathe so long.

Father God, Holy God, Lord, I come to you today as this woman has. I humbly come to your feet, knowing that I am a sinner unfit to approach you, Lord. I am thankful, Lord that you are our father, that you are compassionate with us, longsuffering with us. I am thankful that you care enough for us to prepare a way for us to be made whole in your sight. Thank you for sending your only son – Jesus to be our perfect sacrifice. And thank you Lord Jesus for loving your father and being completely obedient to Him. Thank you Jesus for loving us, and for being willing to suffer humiliation and pain on our behalf. Lord, I realize that the suffering you went through was not because you deserved it, but because of my sinful nature. You died in my place, so that I could stand redeemed in front of God our father. Lord, forgive me of my sinful nature. Forgive me when I sin and become covered in filth. Forgive me when I carry that filth around and expose it to others, Lord. Lord, wash me and cover me with your blood so that I can stand pure in front of others, so that when they look at me, they can also see you living in me. Thank you, Lord for your forgiveness, and for your Love. In the name of the one who has redeemed me, Jesus Christ our Lord – Amen.