Ouch, That Smarts!

            

O

ne of the rites of passage in childhood is learning to ride a bike without the assistance of parents or training wheels.  Inevitably, this leads to cuts, scrapes, and bruises.  Mothers become medics and ER nurses overnight and stand at the ready with abundant supplies of ointments, bandages, alcohol, kisses and hugs. 

I vividly remember one occasion when a brick wall taught me an excellent lesson about judging distances.  It was in the month of June and I had learned to ride my bike reasonably well.  The bike was just a bit too large for me but I rode it with confidence and more than once with reckless abandon.  It was during one of these dare devil rides that I scraped my bike against a brick wall.  My left foot was sandwiched between the pedal and the wall and I roughed up all the toes on that foot.  My mother heard me screaming and came running to investigate.  No sooner had she assessed the damage than she quickly ran to the medicine cabinet and returned with a bottle of alcohol and a cotton ball. 

I knew what the alcohol was for and I also knew it was going to really hurt.  I begged her not to put it on my foot but she kept insisting it was necessary.  Before she administered the alcohol, I made her start blowing cool air on the wound so the burning and stinging would be less painful.  She started blowing and then she poured the alcohol on my foot.  The blowing had no effect!!  It felt as if thousands of little knives were cutting into my foot. Mom just held me until the pain died down.  She knew it would hurt.  She didn't want to hurt me but she knew that the quick, sharp pain of the alcohol was better than the long-term pain of infection.  In fact, the pain was evidence that the alcohol was working, seeking out and destroying all the unseen germs that would later fester into an infection.

The writer of Hebrews would have understood the pain and stinging properties of alcohol.  Moreover, he would also have understood the necessity of applying an antiseptic to a fresh wound, causing initial pain in order to eradicate the bacteria and germs that would eventually cause infection. God's word has the same affect on the soul as alcohol does on a wound.  God knows that sin, if left untreated, can cause serious infection and deterioration in the life of the Christian.  He knows that, like germs, sin will work its way into the smallest, most remote places of the heart, and start to grow.  As it grows, it will destroy everything in its path until the Christian's life resembles a festering wound.

That is why, in Hebrews 4:12, he describes God's word in this way, "For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are."  God's word, then, has curative properties.  It cuts through everything that is damaging to us.  It eradicates anything which would hinder our relationship and daily walk with him.  When God's word exposes us for what we are, there is pain and discomfort but this is necessary if we are to be his children. God knows there will be discomfort and pain for us in the short term; but his love for us is so great that he is willing to cause us temporary discomfort so that we may enjoy eternal peace with him.

Today if you feel the stinging of God's word as it cleanses your life, don't fight against it.  Understand that God is in the process of working in you to remove everything that keeps you from having a perfect relationship with him.  Let him work in you and when he is finished you will find the difficult challenges and trials were worth it.  God never seeks to harm us, only to love us.  Sometimes it is necessary to cause discomfort in order to heal.  At such a time, God will always hold us and love us until the pain dies down.  His only goal is that we be conformed to the image of Christ and he will apply everything necessary to achieve this purpose.  That is how much he loves us.  Remember, the sting of God's chastening is momentary, its effects are eternal!  Have a great day!