Over seven years ago I had two melanomas removed which were the consequences of multiplied sunburns in my teen years. Since that time I have seen my dermatologist twice a year for total body skin checks and thankfully, have not had any additional melanomas show up.
Each time I go in for a check I ask him about a particular mole on my toe that I believe has been growing. He feels like it has been stable and is not a threat but his philosophy (thankfully) is “if it bugs you, let’s remove it”. So last week when I went in, we removed the thing. Now, the removal process itself was a breeze, but the recovery—now that is another issue. I’ve had at least a dozen moles biopsied and removed in the past and I hardly knew anything had occurred. Not with this one. Oh, my goodness, my toe and the ball of my foot HURT!!
Let me stop here and tell you that out of respect to our more squeamish friends, I am NOT posting pictures of my toe. Besides, I need a pedicure and so my foot is not picture-ready.
I spent the entire weekend with my foot elevated so as to prevent swelling and have limped around and guarded my foot like mother hen guards her chicks. I think I might flog anyone who stepped on it!!
All this has me thinking about the things that we guard or protect in our lives. There are things that we protect that need to be protected such as our children, marriage, family, homes, health, reputation and hearts. But then, there are those things that we protect that have no business being protected. We protect our bad habits by ignoring them or trying to excuse them to others. We protect pet sins by hiding them or attempting to justify them in our own minds.
Pet sins? Yes, that’s what I said and we all have them unless we constantly and consistently allow the Holy Spirit to shine the light of conviction on them and cleanse us of them. What do I mean by ‘pet sins’? Well, how about gossip? Many Christians pass along gossip in the form of “prayer requests” when they have no business talking at all. What about back biting or talking about other people behind their backs in a way that is not pleasing to Christ? Most of us do that without even thinking about it, I’m sorry to say. Worrying may be your pet sin. When we worry about something, we are really saying that we don’t believe that God can handle a situation and that unbelief is sin.
Fear, smoking, using drugs or alcohol inappropriately, pride, greed, immodest dress – this list could go on and on forever. What are you protecting or guarding in your life?
Are the things you are guarding worthy of that protection or are they things that simply need to be confessed to the Lord as sin and turned away from? Ask the Lord today to begin showing you anything that you are guarding inappropriately and then be faithful to make the changes that you know are needed.
