I’ve lost a filling from one of my molars and my tongue, which insists on probing the crevasse on a minute by minute basis, has reported to my brain that the hole is at least three inches across and apparently bottomless. So… I’m sitting in my dentist’s waiting room as I write this.
Have you noticed that all dentist waiting rooms smell the same? I have a theory that they pipe in an invisible gas that causes you to become so anxious about what is about to happen that you forget your tooth hurts—a form of reverse psychology… and it works on me every time. By the time the smiling assistant calls my name to follow her back to the chamber of horrors, I’ve pretty much decided my tooth doesn’t hurt at all, and this whole thing was a mistake… but the mystery gas wears off and I realize if I don’t go through with this I’ll suffer yet another sleepless night because of the relentless pain.
Pain is a hard task master. When it’s at its best, we’re at our worst. Yet without pain we wouldn’t know our body is self-destructing.
Leprosy impacted every segment of society in Jesus’ day. A leper was easily recognized by white splotching skin and missing appendages like fingers, toes and even noses that simply became damaged and fell off. Leprosy is extremely contagious, making it necessary to isolate lepers from everyone else. It was a sin to even be in the presence of a leper.
Now the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes shall be torn and his head bare; and he shall cover his mustache, and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ He shall be unclean. All the days he has the sore he shall be unclean. He is unclean, and he shall dwell alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp. Leviticus 13:45-46
Leprosy is a terrible and cruel disease that still exists today. What many don’t know about leprosy is that it isn’t directly responsible for the loss of those appendages. Leprosy attacks the nervous system and eliminates pain in those areas. Without pain, the leper doesn’t know when their fingers or toes are being damaged by outside forces like heat or abrasion. When we overwork our hands, painful sores occur and we take immediate steps to stop abusing that portion of our body. Lepers have no pain response to alert them of the damage that is tearing away at their flesh.
Author Philip Yancey wrote of meeting a leprous janitor who had to wear thick foam rubber gloves to protect his hands from grinding into the broom handle and tearing his flesh. These images are disturbing, I know, but they help us realize that pain is a God-given gift to protect us from ourselves.
Our consciences are also a God-given gift to protect us spiritually. Sensitivity to our conscience is vital to our spiritual wellbeing. Just as leprosy dulls the pain impulse of our nervous system, repeated sins in our lives results in a form of spiritual leprosy. Our skin may not whiten but our decision making becomes skewed as we consistently violate our conscience.
Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked. 1 Timothy 1:19
In a society that scoffs at the practice of avoiding sin, I want to encourage us to carefully consider the importance of holy living. Set clear boundaries in areas like our TV and movie viewing—and every activity in which we engage. I can’t determine what is right for you, but with the Scriptures as a base line, the urging of the Holy Spirit within and personal monitoring of our consciences, we will be more keenly aware of the self-destructive habits we’ve developed. Whether innocently or perniciously, our everyday activities are either causing pain in our consciences or building a healthy spiritual strength.
“For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.” 1 Thessalonians 4:7
“The stupid ridicule right and wrong, but a moral life is a favored life.” Proverbs 14:9 MSG
“We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings. We have depended on God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom. That is how we have conducted ourselves before the world, and especially toward you.” 2 Corinthians 1:12
Lord, thank You for the gift of pain in my conscience. Help me to use that pain to identify sickness in my spirit. Remind me that Your Holy Spirit brings health and healing, and is nothing to be afraid of. Thank You for designing both our bodies and our souls to mend, repair and be restored to health. And Thank You, Lord, for novocain…