When I saw my doctor’s name show up on my caller id last week, my heart started to race. I knew what she was going to say before I even answered the phone. “Ms. Keeth, your biopsy came back positive for squamous cell carcinoma, and it needs to be removed soon.”
This past Tuesday, my dermatologist performed the Moh’s procedure to remove the cancer. It was larger than I had expected, and because of the size, the doctor was unable to put stitches in to close the incision. So, I’m sporting the “bandaged look” on my right leg, protecting the open wound that will take months to heal.
As I’ve thought about the diagnosis and removal of this cancer, along with the healing process, it reminded me of the similarities between sin and cancer and what I can learn from this situation. Here are a few of my thoughts.
Be alert.
Know what to look for that would be a warning sign or symptom of sin. If I hadn’t been alert to something unusual on my leg, I would have missed it and let it go on for too long.
Be proactive.
Deal with sin as soon as you realize it’s there. As soon as I noticed the unusual spot on my leg, I made an appointment with the doctor. I didn’t want to wait till next month or next year. If I had waited, it would have spread and done more damage. Thankfully, we caught it early before it spread outside the original tissue. If we don’t deal with sin immediately, it grows deeper and spreads. The longer we let it go, the harder it is to remove, and the more damage it does.
Understand the urgency.
Once I received the call with the diagnosis, I was counting the days till she removed that skin cancer. I didn’t want it to “contaminate” my body one day longer than necessary. That’s how we should feel about sin. We should want it GONE! YESTERDAY! Don’t let it hang around. Don’t put it off, thinking, “It won’t hurt anything to let it be for a little longer.”
Expect scars.
I will have a significant scar from this wound that will remind me of what was done. Sin also leaves scars. Some are more prominent depending on how deep and long the sin was allowed to hang around and do its damage. But eventually, the scars will soften over time.
Protect yourself.
We all know the importance of wearing sunscreen when we go outdoors, but, if you’re like me, I don’t always do it. If I had worn the proper protection in my younger years in the sun, I wouldn’t be dealing with my fourth skin cancer. In the same way, we need to protect ourselves from sin by putting on the armor of God each morning when we awake (Ephesians 6).
Don’t let your guard down.
The dermatologist tells me every time she removes a skin cancer that this won’t be the last one. Once you develop a skin cancer, you’re prone to more. I can’t let my guard down and think, “ok, I’ve dealt with it. I don’t need to be alert anymore.” Sin works the same way. Just because we’ve confessed and dealt with our sin doesn’t mean we’re not going to sin again. We’re prone to sin. So, we need to keep our guard up.
Who would have thought that God could use a skin cancer to teach me so much about sin?
Wow, great parallel. Cancer and sin are a lot alike in a lot of ways. We’ve dealt with cancer a lot in our family, and I can think of even more (but they would have made your post too long)–like the devastation it can cause. Thank you for using your trials to help others see more clearly. I’m glad the dermatologist was able to get it all out.
Heather, I’d love to hear some of the parallels you think of between sin and cancer. (Who knows, there may be a part 2 someday :).). Sorry to hear you’ve had to deal with this firsthand in your family. God uses situations like this to teach us. Thanks for sharing.
I reread my comment and realized it sounded like I was saying I could do better than that because I could come up with more. I didn’t mean that at all. I thought this was a very insightful post and well done! It got me thinking, which is why I said I was thinking of more parallels. Here are three that popped into my head besides the devastation that both sin and cancer can cause: 1) we need a community/family to help us through it sometimes, 2) sometimes we need to cut out (or kill if you’re talking about chemo) a lot of good in order to get rid of the bad, and 3) both take a lot of reliance on God. I hope you don’t have to do a part two!
Heather, I didn’t take your comment that way, LOL! I really wanted to hear your thoughts. And I love your parallels – especially the need for community to help us through it. Thanks for sharing!
Oh Crickett I am so sorry you endured that. Thank you for turning it into a teaching lesson for all of us. May you heal quickly.
Cherrilynn, I’m just thankful we caught it early. I’m sure God will have many more lessons for me during the healing process in the coming months.
Great post! Sin is a cancer with serious consequences, some of which can be avoided as you illustrated so well.
Thanks, Becky! God has definitely used this to teach me some practical lessons. Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks, Crickett, for the sin alert and warning. This is a great lesson for us all. I pray all goes well with your healing process. Follow the dr.’s orders.
Thanks, Melanie! I’m doing my best to follow the Dr’s orders. I go back Tues. for her to take a look at it.
Praying for you and your healing. It is wonderful how you use everything to teach a lesson we all need to follow. Take is easy.
Thank you, Linda!