I love symbolism. I'm a symbolic junky. There are so many times when I'll look at one thing, and see the symbolism in it and smile. About a month ago I was going through a hard time. I was at my cabin, and, during a storm, I stood on the dock. The rain pelted down on me, the waves attacked my ankles. I saw the storm as being symbolic for the storm of my life. Then, slowly, the storm faded and died, and in front of my eyes there was a rainbow. Better times to come. Ah, I love symbolism.
I'm really exhausted right now. I spent yesterday evening and today hauling tree branches and logs from the woods in our back yard, up the hill, and into the front yard next to the curb. You see, a couple of the trees in our backyard had Dutch Elm disease. Dutch Elm disease is a type of beetle that attacks Elm trees, killing them. So we had to take down the elms already infected so that the beetles don't move into more trees, infecting and eventually killing them. It was exhausting work, and we're not done yet. The symbolism was not lost on me.
Dutch Elm disease is bad, it spreads and kills. We have sin in our own lives, a lot of times it starts out small but if we don't stop it our whole being runs the risk of becoming contaminated.
"So if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand or one foot than to be thrown into eternal fire with both of your hands and feet. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell."
-Matthew 18:8-9
Strong words, strong words. If I were to follow this advice I'd have no hands, feet, or eyes. It wouldn't be pretty. In fact, taking the advice further, I'd have no tongue, because I've certainly said some sinful things before. I'd be able to just sit in the corner and smell things, because, luckily, my nose hasn't committed any offences.
So our we really supposed to go around ostracizing our extremities? I don't believe so. We can learn a lesson from it, though. If my eyes are causing me to sin because I'm on a certain website, well, I've got to remove my eyes from that website. If I hang around a group of friends who constantly tempt me into sinning, well, I've got to use my legs (good thing I didn't cut them off) and flee.
Just like we had to remove the trees with Dutch Elm disease from our forest so must we remove the disease of sin from our lives. As I've been learning, it's a painful, exhausting process, but it's quite the necessity.
I'm really exhausted right now. I spent yesterday evening and today hauling tree branches and logs from the woods in our back yard, up the hill, and into the front yard next to the curb. You see, a couple of the trees in our backyard had Dutch Elm disease. Dutch Elm disease is a type of beetle that attacks Elm trees, killing them. So we had to take down the elms already infected so that the beetles don't move into more trees, infecting and eventually killing them. It was exhausting work, and we're not done yet. The symbolism was not lost on me.
Dutch Elm disease is bad, it spreads and kills. We have sin in our own lives, a lot of times it starts out small but if we don't stop it our whole being runs the risk of becoming contaminated.
"So if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand or one foot than to be thrown into eternal fire with both of your hands and feet. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell."
-Matthew 18:8-9
Strong words, strong words. If I were to follow this advice I'd have no hands, feet, or eyes. It wouldn't be pretty. In fact, taking the advice further, I'd have no tongue, because I've certainly said some sinful things before. I'd be able to just sit in the corner and smell things, because, luckily, my nose hasn't committed any offences.
So our we really supposed to go around ostracizing our extremities? I don't believe so. We can learn a lesson from it, though. If my eyes are causing me to sin because I'm on a certain website, well, I've got to remove my eyes from that website. If I hang around a group of friends who constantly tempt me into sinning, well, I've got to use my legs (good thing I didn't cut them off) and flee.
Just like we had to remove the trees with Dutch Elm disease from our forest so must we remove the disease of sin from our lives. As I've been learning, it's a painful, exhausting process, but it's quite the necessity.
