Mom

Thursday was a hectic day. When I got home for lunch I received a call that my Mom was headed to the hospital for emergency surgery: on her appendix! I quickly packed a bag and headed for the hospital. By the time I was 45 minutes down the road I discovered she was out of surgery and that her appendix had indeed ruptured, which I means she will be in the hospital 4-7 days to make sure the poison, that caused her appendix to inflame and then rupture, is out of her system. She is doing well, although she is very impatient that she has to be in the hospital for that long.

On the three-hour ride home that night I thought about the poisons that get into our lives when something in our life ruptures. Although we do go get help to repair the rupture, I wonder if we take the time to make sure all of the "poison" is out of our lives:

• A relationship ruptures but we do not remove the anger that sits and continues to do damage,
• Finances rupture but we do not make the necessary changes so that our finances are healthy,
• Sexual purity ruptures but we do not take the things out of our lives that lead to the rupture,
• A sin that you commit ruptures a part of your life and you repair the rupture but do not remove the sin or the temptation that leads to the sin.

How do we remove the "poison?" The Spiritual Disciplines of prayer, confession (both to God and to another person), Scripture reading and memorization and worship can all help. But this is not an instant repair. It takes time. And we must be willing to take that time.