Shingles

I have officially never seen anything as bad as Shingles! Jonny has compared it to having leprosy several times. A little description of its progression may help... it started with a rash that within hours turned into boils & pus on both his legs, those boils then turned into scabs and open wounds while other boils continued to form on top, all of this continued to spread the entire length of both legs and onto his feet, around these open wounds bruising appeared... Imagine seeing this gruesome sight, what would you think?
Along with seeing what it looks like, there is also the sight of seeing the one you love in extreme pain and a constant urge to scratch the burning itch that is always there. There is not only a burning itch that takes over, but there is physical weakness and aching from the bruising. To further this excruciating sight, keep in mind that there is no cure what-so-ever! In the doctors words "You have to sit and wait it out for the next 3 weeks."

What a week and more to come!
Now Jonny's comparison of Shingles and sin...

So for the past few days of fun shingles madness, I've had a lot of time to think...about shingles. One thing I noticed time and time again is that shingles is just like sin, and it has been helpful for me to remind myself of various truths about sin through my experience. I will write them out in list format:
1. You can't deny that you have it.
-Anyone who has shingles would have to be crazy to deny that they have it. In the same way, anyone who says "People are naturally good" have blindly denied the existence of evil in the world, and the fact that it exists through people.

2. It begs for you to do what it wants.
-Shingles itches like CRAZY. It is horrible. And, to top it off, when you scratch it, it is orgasmic (sorry, but that is really the only way to describe it). It feels SO good. As a result of scratching, however, there is a 10-minute long searing pain that rushes through your leg. In the same way, sin is so fun and enjoyable, but as soon as you give in, the consequences last for a very long time.

3. It's disgusting.
-If I was a rude man (and everyone knows I'm not) I would post pictures we have taken of my shingles. However, I have decided not to, simply because I know a lot of people couldn't stomach it. Its appearance is nauseating. In the same way, sin, if manifested physically (which I believe shingles was made for), would cause all who saw it to throw up.

4. There is no cure.
-When we went to the doctor and found out I had shingles, the first thing I asked was "What can be done about it?" He told us that there is no cure for shingles and you just have to wait until it's gone. He also said that even when this breakout is over, it still can come back at any time. In the same way, apart from Christ, there is no cure for sin. If we don't have the Cure, Christ, then we just have to wait until death, and even then it will stay with us forever.

Those are just a few parallels I've seen. I hope these are some good reminders of what sin is like and how we can heal ourselves of it. Whew, its a relief to know that God can still use shingles for our good!