Hope in the Heartland
Spiritual surgery
Pastor, Gracepoint church
Recently I came across a quote from Henny Youngman and laughed. Then I realized that beyond the joke there was a jolt. Youngman said, “I told my doctor I couldn’t afford the surgery he recommended. So he touched up my X-ray.”
Of course, we would never ask our surgeon to “doctor” the X-ray in real life … because it’s real life. It’s our life. We went to the clinic so the physician could accurately diagnose our ailment and bluntly state our options. Why seek such information? The raw truth may not be what we wanted to hear, but it was what we needed to hear.
The Psalmist wrote, “Search me, O God, and know my heart … see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.” When we place our lives under the X-ray eyes of Almighty God, we can be sure that no sin sickness escapes His divine detection. He tells us the truth about our condition, and then outlines the necessary treatment. He doesn’t offer to “touch up the X-ray.”
God cares so intensely that He sacrificed his Son so that we could be healed of our disease called sin. Jesus offered to pay for our surgery and only He can restore us to spiritual health. He reminds us to get regular checkups by eating properly (reading His word), exercising regularly (living out our faith), and staying closely in touch with Him (in prayer).
Don’t ask God to change your X-ray; ask Him to change you.