If you sadly suffer from allergies like I do, you have surely been sneezing a lot lately or if you are one of the very fortunate who don’t suffer from allergies, you have most likely heard others sneezing a lot lately. I always hate this time of the year because it’s a time where it seems I do nothing but sneeze and blow my nose. So much that the skin on my nose gets so raw it peels from all the blowing of my nose. During this time of the year, I always have one night where my sneezing and blowing of my nose gets so bad that I about go crazy.

Allergy is defined in the dictionary as: “An abnormal reaction of the body to a previously encountered allergen introduced by inhalation, ingestion, injection, or skin contact often manifested by itchy eyes, runny nose, wheezing, skin rash or diarrhea” It is almost impossible to hide the fact you are suffering from allergies; unless you have seen a doctor, or taken some over the counter medicine. The watery eyes, runny nose wheezing are always a dead give-away that someone is suffering from allergies. Have you ever thought what it would be like if we were living in sin and because of that, there was some sort of dead give away physical display which  showed we were living in sin? I bet more people would be more careful to shy away from sinful actions if our bodies were able to display some physical signs that we were doing that.

Here’s the problem, we seem to find clever ways to hide our sins from others but the problem that remains is we can’t hide our sinful ways from the Lord.  David declares in Psalm 139:7-10 “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast.” In other words my friend, we may be able to cover up our sinful ways to others, but the Lord knows and sees all things. There is no drug, no doctor, nothing that can cover or hide our sin from the Lord. When allergies hit, an Achoo isn’t too far behind  and with our sinful ways, the hand of the Lord’s correction isn’t too far away.

The effects of having allergies run the gamete from sneezing and blowing our noses, all the way to being hospitalized. The effects of sin are all the way from death to separation of our intimacy with the Lord; so what are we to do. With allergies, medicine and time will eventually cause them to subsidize enough to where we can lead a normal life again. With sin, nothing short of confessing them before the Lord and turning away from them is the only sure cure. David says it best in Psalm 32:3-5 “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer, Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgression to the Lord  – and You forgave the guilt of my sin”

I suffer from allergies a lot but that kind of suffering doesn’t hold a candle compared to the suffering and pain I have when my intimacy with my Lord is severed because of unconfessed sin in my heart. Like I said, we are good at finding ways to hide our sinful ways from others and even fool them to think we are something special, but we can’t hide our sinful ways from the Lord and He loves you and me too much to leave us in that condition.

Achoo!!! That was a sneeze from my allergies, the pain in my heart from my sinful ways, you may not see, but I am ever so grateful my Lord loves me so much He will do what it takes so we can have fellowship once again. 1 John 1:8-9 “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” Don’t continue to try and hide your sin from the Lord, the joy that comes from having a clear heart before the Lord is truly amazing!!