The hidden variable
The Hidden Variable
On July 22 of this year, Rich and I had to get replacement windows. The ones we had prior were rotting to the core, from where the window AC unit had dripped into the wood over the last several decades. The windows were original to the building of the apartment, which was 1928.
The week leading up to the installation, I picked up things here and there in the dining area by the window, which would need to be removed prior to construction. On the morning of the window replacement, Rich and I moved everything else that remained, which would require two people to move. We met the workers at 8 am, and then went on our way to Edgar’s Bakery for a carb-up day, where we got behind a car with a personalized tag EATLIFE. I was delighted; this was confirmation of all I had written thus far in the new book, The Forbidden Fruit, the Spiritual Disease, which is about the Life Jesus carried while in the body.
When we got home, I decided that I was going to have a delightful attitude in putting the furniture and items back into the dining room. Many times, tasks like this can be overwhelming and cause one to see work of this type, as a chore. Rich cleaned the dust boards, as I began dusting an antique Spanish wine rack, that we’re using for olive oils. When I shoved my hand into the third wine slot to dust, I experienced what felt like a nail jabbing into my right thumb.
I pulled my hand out quickly and saw the blood coming from around my nail and finger and realized a considerable chunk of wood had been loose on the vintage piece. Part of the wood broke off from a larger piece, and the rest was in my thumb. Rich and I both went into the kitchen, to wash off the blood. It was apparent that the wood was deep within my thumb, barely visible through my skin, going at an angle from the nail down towards the padding of my thumb.
I was frustrated with myself wishing I’d not dusted, then trying to not let the issue distract me, would go clean a little and then come back into the kitchen to try to see if I might be able to remove the splinter. To no avail, I went to a doctor a few days later and saw the nurse practitioner. The nurse practitioner gave me antibiotics to ensure that no infection would set in and said let’s wait and see what it does in about a week.
The splinter didn’t work its way out and so I went to see a hand surgeon and discussed the possibility of them removing it. They didn’t have a sonogram machine available to see if there was anything there, and the billing manager was out, so I wouldn’t have any idea as to what costs I would be looking at, if I got the surgery done Monday morning August 15th. The best that I could do was come Monday morning, do the sonogram, and hope that the cost of the surgery wouldn’t put me out of pocket too much. Mind you I was getting more frustrated with myself for getting the splinter in the first place, although I wasn’t at fault. I just didn’t want to spend hundreds of dollars to get the splinter removed.
However, after two more weeks, I realized the splinter wouldn’t come out and something had to be done, so I scheduled surgery a second time.
On Monday, August 29th, the day of surgery, a sonogram was done, and it only looked like a fleck of a little splinter. However, once the surgeon began to cut into my thumb, he found a huge piece of wood. Both the surgeon and surgical staff were amazed at the largeness of what was believed to be a fleck. Afterward, my hand was bandaged, and I was sent on my way.
God then spoke to me about the hidden variable that wrestles within our soul, where the enemy causes us to be double-minded, we believe that we are, our mistake.
The message that the choices and mistakes we made are who we are, is the result of the spiritual disease of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, still at work among our members. When we yield to the voice of the stranger, we don’t hear what God is saying, which is that we’re a new creation. We’re a son and daughter of God! We’re favored and highly blessed.
Instead, when the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in our members speaks, it says that we are our sin via our mistakes, the heavy breath of condemnation. This is the spiritual disease of mankind that Jesus came to redeem us from. In Christ Jesus, we are a new creation. We are a royal priesthood and a holy generation.
God began to speak to me about the thorn that Paul wrestled with in 2 Corinthians 12.
7 “And to keep me from being puffed up and too much elated by the exceeding greatness (preeminence) of these revelations, there was given me a thorn (a splinter) in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to rack and buffet and harass me, to keep me from being excessively exalted.
8 Three times I called upon the Lord and besought [Him] about this and begged that it might depart from me;
9 But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me!” 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 AMPC
The thorn here that Paul wrestled with, represents the message of the enemy sent against him through the carnal nature. The enemy cannot touch our spirit man, he can only touch the flesh; our spirit is born from above. From the beginning in the Garden of Eden, satan perverted the intentions of mankind through the knowledge of good and evil.
Paul’s thorn was allowed to keep him humble. It caused him to seek God at the place of knowing his own intentions, in which he needed freedom.
Likewise, God showed me deeper still, that there are hidden variables in which the enemy attacks our soul. We’re clueless about these hidden places because of the depth to which the wound or issue is buried, like the splinter in my thumb. God revealed to me the grace that He pours out to bring us the sufficiency of Christ Jesus, the Word, to show us MERCY!
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Just as the surgeon had to dig deep into my thumb, which I couldn’t reach, the Word of Truth is the scalpel of the Great Physician, which reaches deep within the soul to go to our intents and motives.
In our heart surgeries, we’re shown places in which we need God’s mercy, in order to know that we have a Savior, Who came to the human suit, pitched His tent up, and sympathized with our struggle. He overcame the power of this world, and all that the enemy would throw at Him.
Everything is revealed to Jesus, nothing is hidden. He can bring truth into the deepest places of your heart where the splinter of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil lodges. That splinter interprets who we are, others, and our world. Thanks be to God that Jesus wakes us up from the hypnosis.
But by the grace of God go I.
Because of the splinter and its removal, I can see the splendor of my King, Jesus Christ, a Savior so real and sure, that He calls me His own, and I’m not my mistake, I am His! That is the beauty of grace and mercy. You are accepted in the Beloved!
12 “For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.
13 And not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight, but all things are open and exposed, naked and defenseless to the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do.
14 Inasmuch then as we have a great High Priest Who has [already] ascended and passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession [of faith in Him].
15 For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning.
16 Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it].” Hebrews 4:12-16 AMPC
Robin Kirby-Gatto