Warts and All

       


           After more than a year and three doctors later, I'm finally rid of a wart that had embedded itself on the middle finger of my right hand.  Actually, it turned out to be a cluster of warts.
          I hated it!  I felt contaminated and apologetic to anyone who, for whatever reason, had to touch my right hand (though I kept it covered with a bandage).  Even hidden, I felt embarrassed by it.
          Plus, it hurt!  Since it protruded, and I am right handed, I was always bumping it or scraping it against something.  Uncovered it was really ugly (the final blow to my dreams of becoming a hand model--just kidding).  I hated the thing.
          I was relentless in trying to get rid of it.  First I tried home remedies: smashing it with a heavy book (hey, old wives tails sometimes work!), Super Glue, duct tape and every over-the-counter cure my  pharmacy had to offer.  I went to a couple of doctors for several painful liquid nitrogen treatments, but I kept torturing the thing in hopes of winning the battle.  I was begging them to get out the scalpel and cut deep and wide! Finally, a dermatologist zapped the thing in several spots with a laser and I'm now wart-free but permanently scarred.
          I couldn't help thinking how much getting rid of sin is like getting rid of a wart: often painful and it can leave scars.  Wart removal offers us some good clues to dealing with persistent sin:
          *hate it
          *never flaunt it, but confess it
          *have a sober shame before God
          *protect others from your sin
          *seek help for as long as it takes
          *endure whatever pain may be involved
          *be persistent until you've won the battle
Matthew 5:30
And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.  It is better to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.