It had been a long day, and I was excited to come home and have time to relax. I’d kicked off my shoes and was all ready to curl up with a good book and my journal. Casually I glanced up – and that’s when I saw it. A large black object on the ceiling above the kitchen table. It was one of my worst fears, in the flesh. Or the exoskeleton. My mind raced. What should I do? Ignore it? Call a man to kill it?
I had to face it. There was no other option.
Shuddering the whole time, I put on a heavy sweater, zipped to my chin, and a pair of winter gloves. Overkill? Perhaps. My weapons of choice: a washcloth and a bottle of Windex. After several minutes of trying to psych myself up, I took a deep breath and tossed the washcloth.
It hit the target. And the wasp didn’t budge.
I picked the cloth up a second time, said “In the name of Jesus, my God is bigger than this wasp!!” and threw it again.
It hit the target. And the wasp didn’t budge.
Now I was fired up. THIS MUST HAPPEN. I raised the cloth, took a breath, and threw with a bit more force.
The wasp fell. Success!!
My elation was immediately followed by fresh horror. IT WAS NOW ON THE GROUND. No time to reconsider the plan. I circled around behind the crawling creature, and pounced. Windex ain’t just for glass, y’all.
After nine or ten whacks with the bottle, the wasp was still buzzing. The banging was interspersed with my own squeals of terror. This was life or death, though. It was either him or me and I had too much to live for. Upon beating the bug for four solid minutes, I finally peeked to see if it was dead. I gingerly picked it up in the washcloth, carried it to the bathroom and flushed it down the toilet. Sweet, shaky victory!!
Why do I describe this epic battle in such rich detail? Because our sin nature is very much the same way.
When we come to Christ, we crucify our sinful nature. It takes a lifetime of submitting to the Holy Spirit, staying in godly community, and putting our flesh to death day after day. And it’s just as messy and terrifying as battling a two-inch black wasp. Our sinful habits don’t die easily; they put up a massive, angry, buzzing fight. But we kill them anyway. Because the joy of knowing Christ Jesus is better and more glorious than the sins that so easily entangle.
Now is the time to face your sin. What’s holding you back from knowing Jesus more intimately? Do it. Strap on the armor of God, set your mind to action, and kill the sin. Scary, messy, painful…. but worth it.
