I was thinking about how amazing it is that our body is sealed up against infection. If we don’t have open wounds the resistance we have to infections through the skin is pretty amazing. If a person’s hands and arms are free from cuts, wounds and skin abrasions they can work with their arms submerged in raw sewage without contracting an infection as long as they wash and sterilize their skin after their job is done. One abrasion, one compromise in the epidermis and all bets are off, the body can contract all kinds of diseases including those that lead to death. Even modern medicine struggles to overcome some of the more common diseases contracted through the skin such as extreme forms of staph infections.

In our current times we live in the raw sewage of discontentment, greed, lust, murder, lying, adultery…the list goes on and on. Our only defense from the infection of these desires is keeping our soul healed and quickly tending to injuries we have sustained. Broken relationships, hard words and anger are a few things that can cause abrasions and cuts; unforgiveness causes us to wade around with full open wounds welcoming infections that can kill us over time. We also need to seek healing when we lose loved ones as well as be aware when we lose jobs and have difficult circumstances in life. The only healing and maintenance program comes through a relationship with God and welcoming His forgiveness into our lives. Without this relationship and forgiveness we will be constantly fighting and often losing against the infections of this world which leads to physical ailments, death of the body or death of the soul through lost hope, lost love and lost desires.

Psalms 23:1-3

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness 

for his name’s sake.

God’s still quiet waters are an absolute contrast to the raging rapids we endure in our day to day lives. Without Him we do not have the quiet waters of restoration and our lives never heal up from infections among us and in us. Isn’t it interesting the image of  “His quiet restorative waters” parallel how we naturally deal with wounds, we gently run water over the wound to clean and soothe. On a regular basis I must turn my life back to god and ask Him to lead me to the quiet place, the quiet water and clean up my mistakes and the wounds inflicted by others. I encourage you to give God a chance to do the same.