Are You Sick?

Yesterday I woke up feeling cold.  Now that doesn't necessarily mean anything, since I often feel hotter and sometimes even colder than normal.  But I started thinking, "Am I getting sick?"  

My husband felt my head - nothing.  I took my temperature - nothing.  Yet I'm still thinking, "I might have that virus."  

And that's the way it is when there's a chance of illness.  My physical well-being becomes my focus, occupying my thoughts, and affecting everything I do.  Every little body twinge is a cause for concern.

About a month ago, just as we went into this stay-at-home mode, I happened across John Donne's Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions - meditations relating to sickness, death, and trusting in the Lord during trying times.  

These writings include the well-known phrase "never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."

Donne writes these devotions as he's experiencing some type of sickness; he also relates how he does all he can to avoid getting sick.  Nothing wrong with that.  We do the same.

But Donne then compares his concern for physical health with his concern for spiritual health.  

Why is not my soul as sensible as my body?  Why hath not my soul these apprehensions...these suspicions of a sin, as well as my body of a sickness?...I fall sick of sin...and all this while have no presage, no pulse, no sense of my sickness.

Donne recognizes that he isn't on the look-out for dangers, for temptations and the sin that may harm his spiritual soul.  

And I'm convicted.  I know God's Word and His commandments.  I'm aware of my sinful heart.  And yet I don't wear a "spiritual mask" to protect myself.  I'm not careful in that regard.

Now I have two options here:

1) I can totally ignore my spiritual health and be unconcerned about my sin, which is my tendency; or...

2) I can overreact and become legalistic and obsessed with personal holiness.

Of course, neither one of them is the correct choice.

So I turn to option #3.

Jesus came into this world, died on the cross and then rose again.  Because He came, I call God my Father, and I neither ignore my spiritual health or obsess over it.  

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  Galatians 2:20

There's freedom and love in being a child in my Father's house.  It's okay that I'm the prodigal son, always returning, always being forgiven, always loved.

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.  For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."       Galatians 5:13–14

Looking for Something to Read?

It was in college that I was first introduced to The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis.  Narnia is the name of Lewis's fantasy land in which a group of children have various adventures.  The Narnia books also "paint pictures" of the Christian life and understanding.

One of my favorite pictures is of the outdoor climate, the elements in Narnia.  In The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, when the children initially enter Narnia, it's dismal, cold, and snowy.  One character describes it as "always winter and never Christmas."  

Now it took me awhile to "get" that idea, since in our culture the ideal Christmases always come with snow.

But in Narnia, Christmas was never coming, or so it seemed.


However, midway through the story, Father Christmas (Santa Claus of all people!) arrives.  The snow starts melting, green grass and flowers appear, and birds begin chirping.  Spring has come to Narnia!

And the reason for the thaw, for the new growth, the new life - Aslan, the story's Christ figure, has arrived.

In the Bible's Old Testament, the Lord promised His people that a Messiah, a savior, would come, to make things right in this world.  The people looked and waited for, and trusted in this promise.

"Behold, the days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land."  Jeremiah 23:5

I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day.  Zechariah 3:9b

But for the Old Testament people, the Bible says...

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.  Hebrews 11:13

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.  Galatians 4:4-5

Once Jesus was born, things were different.  The promise of hope was that a Messiah would come to free the people, to bring them back to the Lord; and with Jesus, that hope was fulfilled.  The long winter was over; spring was here.

No matter how bad things in this life are or how bad they get, we enjoy the privilege of living in this time period, a period that Jesus has entered into.  He came and died for the sins of the world, He defeated death and rose from the grave, He sent us the Holy Spirit, and now He, Jesus, rules and reigns.

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness.  Isaiah 61:10a

Crushing the Trash

I was taking a walk around the neighborhood early this morning, and I noted all the bags and containers of trash waiting to be picked up.  I waved at the trash collector when he drove by, but the Marine inside me wanted to salute.  Thank-you to all our waste disposal workers who remain on-the-job!

We're a people with a lot of stuff, a lot of junk, and a lot of trash.  We're constantly throwing stuff away.  

Not only that, but we have a lot of trash on the inside of us, a lot of sin, struggles, hurts, temptations, guilt, covetousness, sloth, envy, pride.  The list goes on.  We have a lot of trash.

And this "inside trash" we like to hide it, and just carry it around with us.  It's on the inside, so nobody sees it or knows what we're bearing or what our insides actually look like.  Even carrying this "inside trash" is more trash - our shame - that we also bear.

Paul puts it this way...

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh...Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Romans 7:18 and 24

And David prays...

Have mercy on me, O God...my sin is ever before me...Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.  Psalm 51:1, 3, and 10

Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, the Son, was born into this world as a baby, as one of us.  He lived among us.  He fed people and healed them; He taught and loved them.  

But He also came to save them.  And He came to save us, to rid us of that trash inside of us, to crush it.  That's why He went to the cross.

He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.  1 John 2:2

But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.       Isaiah 53:5

And just like that faithful trash worker, Jesus takes my "inside trash" again and again and again, as many times as I need Him to take it, He takes it.  And He forgives my sins and makes me clean and sets me free. 

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.  John 8:36