Great Sickness

          December was not a very good month for me.  I spent the bulk of it very sick.  One of the effects of my sickness, made those around me happy as I managed to lose my voice for a while.  As I was sick and laying in my bed, I did figure out a major difference between men and women, concerning how they react when they are sick. 

          A woman can have a 110-degree temperature, her joints ache, her muscles ache, and her whole body can ache.  Her head can be pounding and she can be nauseous, yet what will she do?  She will still get up at dawn to sure the children have their baths and she will get them to school.  She will prepare meals for the family and she will do all that is needed to make sure the house runs smoothly.
          A man can get a sniffle and he is on the couch bundled under two blankets pointing the remote towards the TV, and in a meek voice say, “Cartoons, I want cartoons.”  He will make sure everyone knows that he is sick and that he is very close to death.  The wife will casually ask him to take out the garbage and his response will be, “I am very sick, I will take care of it when I am much better.”  Six months later, he finally gets the garbage out to the trash.
          There is a sickness that has permeated humanity, and the way a person reacts to it is very similar to men and women in sickness.  This sickness is sin.
          No one is immune to this sickness as it is written, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23 NASB).  The way people approach this sickness is different.
          Some are completely guilt ridden if they commit any act of sin.  A person can see their neighbor’s new car and think, “That is a nice car, and I wish I could have something that nice.”  They would immediately realize that they coveted their neighbors car and for the next six months feel as if they have committed a most egregious and unforgivable sin.  They will grieve about it, not receiving any consolation.  They will feel worthless and unable to do any work for the Lord that they were called to do.  Eventually, they will start to feel better and will be able to continue without the feeling of guilt.
          However, others will live their life for the devil and become completely numb to the effects of sin in their lives.  They will brag about their “accomplishments” from the previous night.  Some are aware of the sin but ignore it, while others are oblivious to the sin they are committing.  The results are still the same: Ignoring the effects of sin.
          Whether you are aware of the sickness in your life or not, Jesus came to heal all from the sickness known as sin, “The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,” (John 1:29 NASB).  Jesus came to heal us from the great sickness of sin and to make us well.