Splinters

While folding laundry the other day, I felt a little stab of pain on the tip of my right middle finger. I couldn't see anything, so I tried to ignore it. Some time later, I felt a twinge of pain again. A more indepth investigation showed me I had a little splinter in that finger.

Since I was trying to get some writing done before I had to pick up my son, I didn't want to waste my time trying to remove the splinter. Although that little piece of wood was not causing extreme pain, it was definitely an irritant.

After awhile, I couldn't take it anymore. I tried to pull the fragment out with my fingernails, but that was unsuccessful. Taking the tweezers, I made several attempts at extraction. I succeeded after about the twelfth time. I was amazed that such irritation could come from a 2 millimeter sliver of wood that I probably acquired when I was sweeping that morning.

Sin can be our irritant. Maybe it's buying a blouse behind your husband's back when the budget is tight, or spending too much time on the internet when you're supposed to be doing research for the boss. Even though these aren't "major" offenses, they still fall in the category of sin because deception and dishonesty are involved.

Unconfessed sin begins to irritate. It causes discomfort, and even disfiguration as we let the sin fester and infect. A pair of tweezers and an alcohol swab was my solution for the splinter. Only Jesus can successfully remove the sin from our lives and begin the process of healing.

Got a little sliver that's a bit uncomfortable to live with? Ask Jesus to forgive you and let Him make you whole again.