As I was playing disc golf today I noticed my disc had landed near some poison ivy. You need to understand that I am a magnet for poison ivy. I’ve had it spread all over my body and usually at the worst of times, like when the IMT school year first started and I was meeting all of the new interns with a rash all over my face! I’ve taken everything there is to take to treat it and in the process I’ve learned everything there is to know about the demonic plant.

So when I noticed my disc had fallen near some ivy I took serious action. An ivy plant produces oil that most people are allergic to. This oil takes about 3 hours to bond to your skin and cause a reaction. So after I finished my round of disc golf I came home and immediately kicked off my shoes and took careful note of everything I touched on my way to the shower. After my shower I got out the latex gloves and cleaned the doorknobs, car keys, phone, wallet, water bottle, shoes, discs and I put my clothes in the wash. Christina was beginning to think I had committed a murder.  I can’t be too careful when it comes to poison ivy because I know all to well it’s potential.

It got me thinking. What if I feared the destruction sin can cause as much as I fear the itchy inconvenience of poison ivy? What if I realized how much sin had hurt me inwardly? (Aren’t we always so conscious of what affects us outwardly?  The things we can’t hide) What if I took such careful precautions to avoid the terrible effects sin can have on me?  What if I walked away from temptation like I carefully walk away from poison ivy?

Poison ivy oil can stick to your shoes and can still attach to you after a year if it’s not washed off.  Like sin, you can’t get away from it unless it’s cleansed.