"SPITTING STITCHES"

Yeah, you read that right.

Spitting stitches.

What on earth am I talking about?

The phrase "spitting stitches" refers to the concept that either permanent or absorbable sutures that are normally just under the skin poke through the skin and are palpable on the outside.

OK, yes, gross.

But, Marty (my granddog) knows all about it.

About six weeks ago, Marty developed a bump along his scarline.  Over the course of two weeks, it waxed and waned, until finally it got quite large and red.  Yup, off to the vet's again!

Turns out that Marty's body was having a reaction to one of his surgery sutures.  (You can read about his surgery here).  So, though the stitch didn't actually break through to the surface, it was causing all sorts of problems – which led to more money, two weeks of antibiotics, and another stint with the Cone of Shame.

Marty is fine.

And like the wonder dog that he is, he took all this in stride.

But the whole process got me thinking about how the body works.

Fine-tuned to survive, the body does all sorts of cool things.  And one of the things it does is fight off invaders that don't belong.  Like bacteria, viruses, and foreign objects.

Like errant stitches!

Dissolvable stitches are meant to dissolve.  (Well yes, duh).  But sometimes they don't.  And then the body takes over, and tries to repel them. Kinda like what happens when you get a sliver.  I remember once when a tiny piece of glass worked its way out of my foot a year after I had stepped on broken glass in my kitchen!

This process is called *rejection.*  

Our body's immune system is designed to seek and destroy any foreign object that it finds in our bodies.  Rejection occurs as the body's immune system responds to the invasive entity.  Without our conscious knowledge or voluntary direction, our body starts the processes necessary to protect itself and remove the offending object.

An inflammatory response occurs when tissues are injured.

Damaged cells release chemicals, causing swelling, and this helps isolate the foreign substance from further contact with body tissues.  The chemicals also attract white blood cells that "eat" germs and dead or damaged cells.


You might not be a medical person, but I find this fascinating.

And it provokes wondrous awe at how God created bodies to work (even doggy bodies!)


Now you know me, I'm always going to be looking for a *God lesson* – and here's what I'm thinking:


1) Our physical bodies are indeed "fearfully and wonderfully" made.  God, knowing the eventual ramifications of sin – that it would bring about disease, injury, pain – fashioned in-built defenses.  It's amazing to watch them at work.

"Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous – how well I know it." (Psalm 139:14, NLT)


2) In the same way that our physical bodies can be "invaded," our spiritual beings are also subject to assault from things like temptation and sin. And since we were originally created perfect, sin is truly a "foreign object."

"When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned." (Romans 5:12, NLT)


3) Now, when we accept Jesus as our personal Savior, we also welcome the presence of the Holy Spirit.  And He's kinda like our spiritual immune system.  He works to seek and destroy sin in our lives.  He helps us to *reject* it!

"So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the…Spirit [desires] what is contrary to the flesh." 
(Galatians 5:16-17, NIV)


I'm glad to say that though Marty was "spitting mad" at some stitches a while back, he's doing fine now.

And once again, his life has reminded me of some spiritual truths.

Bodies are wonderfully made.

And God has created some incredibly effective defense mechanisms.  The immune system is a miracle, in my opinion.  Mysterious, effective, strong.

And, in the same way, the Holy Spirit provides spiritual defense against the marauding onslaughts of temptation and sin.  He, too, is mysterious, effective, and strong.  


My friends, we are cared for immensely.  Our Heavenly Father has blessed our bodies and our souls with some pretty amazing stuff!

And I am so grateful that He helps me reject the things that don't belong!!

Here's to *spitting sin*!!

It's all good. 

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up." (Hebrews 12:1, NLT)

"...now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.  Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator." (Colossians 3:8-10, NIV)

"That...is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.  You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." (Ephesians 4:20-23, NIV)

"Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls." 
(James 1:21, ESV)

"Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]." (Romans 12:2, AMP)

"'I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.'" (John 14:16-17, NASB)

"The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here.  So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living." (Romans 13:12, NLT)

"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.  On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds." 
(2 Corinthians 10:4, NIV)



Are you *spitting sin* out of your life?



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