A-a-choo!

A-a-choo!

August 23, 2014

At home while I was growing up my folks never used foul language but they weren't without some colorful ephitaphs. When my mom was frustrated or exasperate, she'd spit out, “Oh, for corn's sake!” A funny expression by today's standards but one I recall every summer at this time.

We returned home from vacation at the end of July to find that the field corn, which surrounds us on three sides, had grown by two feet (at least!) and tasseled into bloom. Until living here, I didn't realize I was allergic to corn. But maybe it's just that there is so much of it blooming all at the same time? Whatever the reason, I suffer through allergic reaction in varying degrees each August. Like Mom used to say, “Oh, for corn's sake!”

Life outdoors in the country is filled with allergins. Winter is the only exception but, brrrrr, who wants to stay outside then? There are some allergies we can't avoid but just have to wade through the tissues and eye drops, hoping to find some antihistimines that curb our symptoms. Our spiritual lives can be like that, too. There are temptations and trials that cross our path every day. What causes a violent reaction from me may not do the same for you. You know, those triggers that frazzle and exasperate? Just as our outdoor allergies may vary, so do our reactions to life's foibles.

One way to combat allergies is to eliminate the irritant. Obviously, I can't stay someplace else while the corn wafts proud plumes of pollen (hey, three p's!) across the countryside. Your allergies may be just as impossible to avoid. So, spiritually speaking, how can we avoid those commonplace issues that cause us such turmoil? Jesus told a very interesting story about that in Matthew 12:43;

“When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it.”

Great! Now we've rid ourselves of that exasperating circumstance, habit or person, that caused us so much distress. But that's not the end of Jesus' story. Let's return to Farmer Jeff's corn field across the street. I've noticed that he plants corn for 2 years and then plants a summer of potatoes. Potatoes I can handle! I've noticed that farmers don't let their fields lie fallow for a season. Obviously, that would allow weeds to spread and proliferate. Let's read on in verses 44-45;

“Then it (the evil spirit) says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.” (NIV)

Oops! Cleaning house wasn't such a good thing. But why? It's because the original host (you and I) left a vacancy that wasn't being inhabited. When we cast out what gives us such unpleasant reactions, we have to fill the time, space, and thoughts with something more wholesome. A blank space in our lives WILL be filled. We have opportunity to choose what we will fill that space with. We need to take to heart the warning from Jesus Christ. “the final condition of that man is worse than the first”!

Love as always, Elaine (Please pass the tissues!)