Have you ever watched Dr. Pimple Popper? … before I get into that, let me give you a little personal history…I’ve had some life issues the last few years. Big stuff—things that hurt. Death, betrayal, anger, deception, bitterness, hurt that goes deep…along with the normal life issues…kids, marriage, in-laws, relationships…just life. Life is HARD! Seriously, y’all. It is. But God tells us that we are to face life with joy…He is our Joy! We gain our strength from Him! I want to share with you about a dream I had…but a little back story first… I’ve been trying to forgive the hurt I have caused and the people who have hurt me in these life issues. It’s been hard! I’ve read the verses. Oh have I read the verses, but it’s still hard. It’s work! And it’s a process—at least it has been for me.
The sermon at service Sunday was great! It was just what God wanted for me to hear. I have been angry with God. In my selfishness, I have not wanted my life to look the way it does at this point in my life. I wanted to have a “perfect life.” Where my kids are perfect, make good decisions, I have a plethora of friends and my marriage, well…it’s so fantastic. Seriously…I know. Silly. No one has that life. … but in today’s world of comparison, I just don’t think it’s “fair” that I have had to have these life challenges…Well, life is not fair. I know! So, because of that, I have been working on forgiveness. I’ve been trying—I really have. And I guess that’s the problem. I’m trying to do it in my own strength—it’s never gonna happen if I continue trying to do it in my own strength. God’s going to have to have full access to me, my heart and the deepest wounds.
So I pray: Psalm 139:23-24 says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” God knows my heart. He knows my thoughts. He knows it all and he loves me. He is leading me in His ways. I am a slow learner, but he is leading and I am willing to follow!
Psalm 66:18-20 “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!
I have read this verse many times, but never read it like I did today. See, I have always heard it preached that our sin separates us from God…and that is true—God cannot be near sin. But read this verse again. IF I had cherished iniquity in my heart…IF. See, we all have sin in our lives…but IF we cherish it, THEN God will not listen. If we are striving for forgiveness and working on letting go…does that mean our prayers are still being heard…I think maybe that’s what this says. I’ve asked him to take my troubles, but I don’t think that’s exactly what he wants to do—not take it, but he wants to USE it–use it to make me better, use it to continue to write my story. He wants it to be my 2 Cor 1:3-7 story. Share in sufferings so I can help others as they go through similar sufferings…
So, as I was thinking about that, I went to sleep and had a dream…
And now back to my first question: Have you ever watched Dr. Pimple Popper? I know some of you are saying, “Oh, yes! I love that show!” and others are saying, “oh my gosh! That’s so disgusting I can’t I can’t even finish reading this because it’s so gross!” —but then you cover your eyes and peak…just to see what’s next. You know who you are! Well it was a crazy dream and it was about pimples. It was about Dr. Pimple Popper. See, in our house we are fans of Dr. Pimple Popper—the shows are just captivating. What is going to come out of the body next?
How does this relate to my story–sin? Ok—here was my take away from the dream. God was showing me through that show, that’s how sin is— it’s a big pimple and in our life we tend to have pimples that need attention, but when left unattended, that little surface blemish, turns into a pimple or black head that goes deep, the kind that when you squeeze on them, yeah, there’s some gross stuff that comes out…a little white puss or even blood…but then when the doctor actually gets in there it just keeps oozing out—and just when you think there’s no more…the doctor finds another pocket of infection. That’s how the sin in our lives are when they are not dealt with right way. So, this unforgiveness that I have been focused on, must be dealt with now, before it becomes a sin that is cherished…harbored…embedded in my life! Before that infection gets even deeper.
And then my final thoughts…see, I have been concerned about some of the hurt that has been done to me…even more than my own sin of hurting others. But that’s a mistake. Each of the people in my life have decisions to make. They have to choose to do what they need to do and I must deal with my own choices. In other words: You must deal with your own pimples. If I am worried about the mistakes or errors of my kids or friends or husband, then my sin goes unattended. … and remember, unattended, it only gets worse. So…forget about the guy who has a big white head right on his forehead! Let him deal with that himself. You worry about the pimple on your butt! Seriously…don’t tell me you don’t get butt pimples.
Matthew 7:3-5 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
My paraphrase will go something like this: “Why do you look at the pimple on your brother’s forehead and pay no attention to the pimple on your butt? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me pop that pimple for you,’ when all the time it hurts you to sit down because of the big pimple on your butt? 5 You hypocrite, first take care of your own pimple, and then you will see clearly to that your brother’s pimple is his to deal with.
Go out today and deal with that sin before it becomes something that you cherish.
