Warts

And to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or and other blemish but holy and blameless. Ephesians 5:27 NIV


Several months ago I was at a writers conference in Colorado, while I was there the thought of being a "wart on the body of Christ" came to my mind. It got me to do some deep thinking, to look inward in a way that I do not do often. I realized that there are many times that that is just how I feel. I feel like a useless, ugly fungus sticking out on the body of Christ.

What prompted that thought I really do not know. I do know that it had me up during the night in deep thought. I tried to think of just what a wart may signify, what it's purpose is. I wanted to get up and do a word study, or a Bible study, but because I had two roommates I was unable to do that. Later in the week, I found myself alone in our room, and with my borrowed laptop in front of me. I began to write down some of my thoughts.


Warts:

• UGLY
• GROSS
• USELESS
• TURNS PEOPLE AWAY
• FUNGUS
• NO GOOD PURPOSE

Lord, is that me? Is that how I am or is that how I appear to other people? Perhaps that is how I feel about myself sometimes. Am I simply a nasty, ugly growth on the body of Christ? I so desire to be something useful, perhaps a finger, or a hand. How do I function? What kind of positive influence am I? Do I do things that are God driven or God directed? Or do I do what ever I choose when ever I choose?

Can people see God or Jesus in me when I am doing my everyday jobs, or when I am at home? Do I put on a facade? Am I real? Am I real toward God? Or do I pretend I am something else than what I truly am?

That is a lot of questions, but I hope it is something that will make you feel like I did when the thought came to me. I want to be useful. I may not be beautiful or thin as I wish I could be, but I can be the best me that God can make me to be. I can shine for Him. I can reflect Him in everything I do. What do I do when those nasty warts appear? Things like sin? I can make sure I treat them with "wart remover" in the christian world I imagine that would be "sin removal" and allow God to clear up that ugly, unseemly growth! See how closely warts and sin compare?


Sin:

• UGLY
• GROSS
• USELESS
• TURNS PEOPLE AND GOD AWAY
• FAST GROWING
• NO GOOD

Seems pretty strange when I compare warts and sin how closely they are related. Neither is something we are proud of, and both are something we do not desire to have.

Lord, let me see the sins in my life as something ugly and help me want to rid myself of it. Show me Lord the things I need to repent of so I can be without spot or blemish before You. Amen

Becki Reiser