Once again I am covered with poison ivy.
I thought I was being so careful, but as the bubbly blisters began to form I realized that it wasn't careful enough.
I did not knowingly touch any of that sinister stuff.
What else could I have done? I even wore Ray's big rubber boots!
Though it was primarily because I did not want to encounter snakes in among the pachysandra, I realized that the boots were doing double duty when I discovered that the patch I was in was not filled solely with friendly green stuff!
Each time I came in from gardening I washed thoroughly in Technu, which is suppose to remove the oil before it can irritate one's skin.
I am obviously highly sensitive and it did not do the job.
I need to remember this and steer clear!
The rash continues to spread days after the contact.
I do not know what to do to halt it.
Every few hours I find a few more spots.
I view poison ivy as a definite result of the Fall.
It could not have been in the Garden before that.
No way!
Not only is it something that causes much personal misery, it also chokes out other plants by wrapping itself around anything and everything that gets in its way.
It is a good visual for sin.
Once it has taken root it spreads until it is uprooted.
Trimming will not do the trick.
It needs to die.
Even once you uproot it or spray it with some sort of weed killer, it can still cause trouble.
You have to avoid all contact with it.
It is the same with sin. We dare not think we can handle it and be left untouched.
We must steer clear!
I find that I am most susceptible to both poison ivy and sin when I forget who I am.
Regarding the evil ivy I must remember that I am one who has to avoid it at all costs.
Regarding sin I need to remember who I am in Him and who He is!
Paul reminds us in the Sixth chapter of Romans,
"Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus."When I walk in the life I have in Jesus sin has a hard time drawing my attention.
This means I (we) must...
"walk by faith not sight"...as Second Corinthians, chapter Five, verse Seven instructs us.
"Faith is the position of the heart."*So how do we get that kind of heart position?
Seek Him!
Draw nearer to Him!
Then we will be reminded of who we are in Him.
I was listening to a teaching on the Seventh chapter of Matthew by Pastor Mohler, whom I quoted above.
The section that he was teaching on was where the disciples were unable to heal a demoniac. Jesus told them that with just the littlest bit of faith they could move mountains and that nothing would be impossible for them. Then He added,
"But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."To be honest I have wanted to see a literal mountain move for a long time, so my ears perked up!
He suggested that instead of the typical interpretation that we need to fast and pray to tackle the difficult cases, what if the comment is regarding faith?
As we fast and pray we draw closer to Jesus and our faith is increased.
Then we will face challenges with a different perspective.
I like it.
It resonates with me.
According to my own experience I can say that it rings true.
When I am lost in the wonder of my LORD, nothing seems impossible.
And though I haven't seen literal mountains move, as of yet, I have seen many challenges the size of mountains leveled!
* Pastor Dan Mohler, Neck Ministries
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