“The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
Have you ever had an itch you just can’t stop scratching?
Here’s the picture of my summer vacation:
- my first case of poison ivy in the first week
- a slight infection
- remedies set in place
- allergic reaction to an antibiotic
- full body hives that made me look like a dot to dot picture!
- 5 weeks of itching and little sleep
- 4 trips to Urgent Care and all this as I am visiting family far from my home.
Here’s another picture:
- at birth we are infected with a sin itch that infects our want, our will, our wishes
- we look for ways to scratch the itch
- it irritates, annoys, discourages us even when we try to resist
- remedies are short-lived and disappointing sometimes causing more reactions
Here’s another picture
- we were created with the eternal itch for relationship with God (Eccl. 3:11)
- while we were still ‘itching in our own way’, Christ died for us. (Rom. 5:8)
- His death and life became the Way for our sin itch to be remedied, satisfied, removed
- His life in us becomes the Way to walk with him, for him, to him in every step – no matter what itch may tempt or attack us.
I am still recovering from my summer itch. And I’m so thankful to tell you, I didn’t completely miss a lesson from the Father. Paul’s words came into fresh view ‘…the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the One who loved me and gave himself for me.’ (Gal. 2:20b) So in my raging, itchy, sleepless moments, I tried to pray for those in deeper painful itches than mine
- for those whom I’m praying will invite Jesus to rescue from their sin itch
- for those who are in cancer treatments that bring enormous itching as a side effect
- for young parents and caregivers to loved ones who are exhausted
- for refugees, war-trapped people, hunger-depleted bodies
- for cities and neighborhoods whose itch for justice, truth, refuge are spinning
- for fostering families, those waiting for adoption
- for ministers and lay folk who are shouldering heavy burdens because of their ministry to others
- for the enduring itch of anxiousness, loneliness, depression, doubt, fear of friends…our world.
Where does your itch find you today? Who is on your ‘itch list’. Who needs some relief? Maybe it is just a “sit and be quiet” moment on the phone, in a text, in person with a friend, co-worker, neighbor? Maybe it’s a rest with Jesus. Take it all to Emmanuel, our with us God.