splinters ...

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A post I've been building on for a while now, and it actually goes with my last one quite well ~

I don’t often get splinters, but in the past couple of months, I’ve had three, and they got me thinking …

I had one pesky little splinter in my middle finger for several weeks.  It started out when I noticed that the tip of the finger was a little sore, but couldn’t tell why.  Then, as I pressed down on it, I realized that a miniscule splinter had somehow embedded itself deep beneath the skin.  I mentioned trying to dig it out to a friend, but that never happened.  It didn’t hurt that bad, and it wasn’t irritated so I just let it be.  As the weeks went on, the splinter gradually worked its way to the surface.  It got to where I could see it without having to press down, and then I could feel it when running another finger across the surface, and then a tiny blister formed as the splinter worked to push its way out from beneath that last layer of skin.  Finally, it popped all the way through and was gone without me even realizing.

Next, I got one on the palm of my right hand, just below my pointer finger.  It was actually just an inch below one I got a long time ago that I never removed and has been incorporated into my skin, and it seems the new one is destined to go the way of the first.  It started out at the surface, but did not bother me at all.  I would not have even known it was there had it not been visible.  I picked at it a little and it could have easily been removed with some help, but was in a difficult spot to get by myself.  Honestly, I forget about it unless I happen to see it.  Now it is being absorbed into my skin like the first, fading, dissipating, but still very much there.  It would take a lot of work to get it out at this point.  Even more so for the first.  Would it even be worth it?

Then I got one on the middle knuckle of my middle finger on my right hand.  Again, it didn’t hurt or even bother me, but it was much more prominent.  I picked at it much more than the previous ones, and without much time or effort, it popped right out.  The little hole it left in my skin will heal quickly, leaving only the memory.

Of course, we can’t forget the other kind.  The big honkin’ ones that digs themselves deep within your skin and refuse to be ignored for any significant amount of time.  If left alone, they get red and irritated.  Your body knows that it has been infiltrated by a foreign object and fights with all its defenses to get it out.  These must be removed.  It is often a painful process, and the area remains quite sore for a time afterward, but it is necessary for the health of your body.

I love the way God gives us pictures of how He desires to work in our lives, but I think I’ll leave it at that for today and give you some time to ponder as I’ve had time to ponder for myself.