“And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling amongst us…” Really? How is that when there is so much pain, suffering, and depravity in the world? How can that be when there are those that are consumed with pursuing happiness through success, things, or power?
While adjusting in the slums of the Karamajong people of Uganda in Kampala, I served a woman who had a large, deep open wound in her right side between her breast and armpit. I saw a lot of dead flesh that was moving. As I looked closer, it was full of maggots. Her dead and dying flesh was being eaten away by the parasitic activity of soon-forming flies.
Twice I had the urge to vomit while in this slum. Neither time was from the wretched smells of human waste mixed with rubbish and decomposing things that were once alive. The first time came from a naked little boy who was handed to me with a grossly distended stomach, covered in flies and raw sewage, snot pouring from his nose, and small open cuts covering his body and flies filled their stomachs on his blood and puss. His jaundice eyes looked hollow and unable to focus. Did you know you could reach a point where you can’t “feel” anymore? I was numb. But, something deep down inside me revolted. As hard as I fought it, I started to dry heave. Thankfully it passed quickly so I could get back to work and serve this little one. Almost instantly, he looked better. His eyes were able to focus and he transformed from listless to happy and ran away after I was finished adjusting him.
The other time was with a woman who was being eaten alive. I had never seen such a sight on a human before and my brain had a hard time processing it. At that moment, my body revolted and tried to vomit. As difficult as it was to look at, it was a good thing. The necrotic tissue would create a horrible infection and possible lead to her death. The larvae were removing that part of her that was no longer needed. Grotesque to see, but vitally important.
I have had dead flesh as well. We all do.
The sacrifice of perfection for my dead flesh has never meant so much to me in my life until this experience. My dead heart, my spoiled mind, my rancid soul need to cleaned. I cannot do it. I never can. Yes there were flies swarming around this dead and dying part of my life but I need these parts! I can’t lose them to continual decomposition or I will forever die.
There is only one thing that can make me whole again. And I can do nothing on my own do fix my rotten nature. Just as this lady in the slum could not repair her dead tissue, I cannot stop my own rot. I needed something without blemish to heal me. Something absolutely perfect. Nothing else would do. Anything short of perfection would only be whitewash.
My solution was offered to me in the blood of Jesus. It was poured out from a perfect man and is the only thing that not only removed my dead flesh but made it whole again. The maggots and larvae are gone now. The stench is removed and I am complete. I did nothing to earn it. It was free. I am whole.
I learned so much from the woman about where so many are in life by seeing her wound. In the States, we buy or do more to anesthetize our soul to the pain of inevitable death. We use stuff as distractions for death. How silly and fruitless.
The sacrifice of Jesus’ flesh and the shedding of his blood was an eternal healing for me. For that, I am eternally grateful, free and alive. Death no longer has a grip on me. I am whole.