Roaches and Redemption
The moment will forever be burned into my memory. It was April 5, around 10:00 pm, and I had just come back from getting Mexican takeout. I was ready to sit down, eat my freshman 15 burrito, and binge watch The Office. It was going to be the perfect Tuesday night. Or so I thought.
Before I sat down to relax, I walked over to my sink to wash my hands and take out my contact lenses. I reached down to pull out one of my drawers and find my contact case when suddenly, everything changed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the horrifying, unmistakable scurry of a monstrous cockroach. My heart dropped to my stomach and I did what any mature college girl would do–screamed at the top of my lungs and slammed the drawer shut.
Before I knew it, my room was filled with concerned girls who had heard my screams down the hall and thought something was wrong. And boy was something wrong! After ten minutes of shrieks and flailing arms, I was able to remove everything from my drawers and under the sink. Much to my dismay, I discovered not just one, but four, cockroaches under my sink! And they were breeding!!
So after an hour of more screaming and failed attempts to suck up the vile creatures with a dust buster (HUGE thanks to my neighbors who lent me the vacuum and stuck with me through the madness), I was able to catch them all, throw them outside, and squish the life out of them. I later had my cabinet thoroughly checked and fumigated, determined to never let those revolting bugs take up residence in there ever again!
Chances are, if you’re like me (or just a typical, sane individual), you would have reacted just like I did. There is no way you would just think “Oh goodness, would you look at that! How lovely! I’ll just leave them be,” and proceed to close the drawer and go along your merry way. Heck no! You would have screamed! You would have jumped up on the nearest chair or counter and yelled for someone to come in and help you! And you definitely would have not gotten a wink of sleep until you were 100% certain you killed them all.
And I think this not only applies to our living conditions, but to our spiritual health as well. Too often, we make up excuses for our tendency to allow sin to take up residence in our lives. “It’s too difficult,” “It’s not that bad,” and “I can deal with it on my own,” are just a few things we tell ourselves to justify our failure at turning away from temptation.
Sin that takes up residence in our lives will fester and rot, eventually stinking up every aspect of our lives. Not only will our relationship with God suffer, but our relationships with friends, family, coworkers, and even ourselves will feel the detrimental effects.
And sin that is not dealt with will breed (like those nasty cockroaches!!) and eventually defile everything it touches.
Getting rid of those cockroaches is probably one of the most unpleasant things I've had to do, EVER. It was scary when I heard their little legs scurrying against the wooden shelves. It was disgusting when their gross antennas brushed my hand. It was disheartening when I couldn't reach between the cracks and suck them up into the vacuum.
And just like dealing with unwanted pests, removing sin is challenging and no more enjoyable.
It's scary when we consider what others will think if we open up and share our struggles. It's disgusting when we hold onto the things of this world, rather than the Father's promises. It's disheartening when we give into the desires of our flesh instead of the faithful aspirations of our heart.
But just like we would never let roaches set up shop in our homes, we shouldn't let sin have a permanent reservation in God's home–our hearts.
Do not be discouraged if you're like me (which you are because we're all human!) and constantly fall short. It happens. A lot. And that's ok because of two powerful words.
"But God."
Gabi, you don't understand. I am a sinner who loses her temper.
But God.
Gabi, you really don't understand. I am a sinner who sometimes thinks only of himself.
But God.
Gabi, you're just not getting it. I am a sinner who looks in the mirror and hates the person staring back.
But God.
My prayer for you is that as you strive to remove the temptations and transgressions in your life, you do not become discouraged. I pray that you let those two mighty words fill your hearts. I pray that you allow God's redeeming love to wash over every part of your being. Because with Him, there is nothing we can't overcome.
In Him,
Gabi
Ephesians 2: 1-7
"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."