Wounded to Be Healed

Sometime Tuesday morning as I sat in the dermatologist's chair and he worked to remove the basal cell carcinoma on my nose he told me it may be the smallest one he has ever taken care of. He went on to ask when/how I noticed it. I explained I had seen it sometime before December 2016 and forgot to ask my family physician about it when I saw him. It was a tiny, pinhead sized blister looking spot. I told him it grew throughout 2017 and I remembered to ask my family physician about it when I went in for my yearly physical in December 2017. 

The dermatologist was impressed. By my awareness, by my family physicians alertness and by our making an appointment to see him so quickly. Most people wait until it is much larger before they see him. When I said "so I did good?" he confirmed it with a hearty "yes, you and your doctor did very good." We agreed that taking care of it when it is small is much easier and less traumatic than waiting until it is large. And most certainly is more favorable than ignoring it, hoping it will go away.

 

He had assured me at the consultation and again at the biopsy appointments that if surgery was needed that I did not need to be concerned, that my nose would fill in. Before he let me look in the mirror after surgery he told me, once again, to not worry, it would fill in. I had no idea of what the fuss was about. There isn't that much flesh on your nose-go ahead, reach your hand up to the bridge of your nose. Squeeze it, push on it, feel it. See what I mean? 

When he put the mirror in front of my face I was shocked. I had a crater in comparison to the size of the spot on top of my skin that had alerted me to the cancer growing. As I took in what I was seeing, he was once again reassuring me that, over time, it would fill in. And it would gradually become less noticeable. He also explained that he took as little as he could, but as much as he needed to in order to protect my health.

I have to clean and redress the area twice a day for three weeks, then once a day until it is healed-about six weeks total. 

Wednesday I sat on the couch resting, thinking about what my body had gone through and the work it was doing and will continue to do to heal itself now that the cancer is removed. I am amazed at how God created us. As those thoughts tumbled in my mind I was smacked in the face with a comparison that will not leave me alone. I have shared it with several others already.

That cancer on the bridge of my nose is like the sin in my life. Most often it is small to begin with, barely noticeable to me and certainly not easily detected by others. It may cross my mind to ask the Master Physician to take a look at it, but if I am not intentional about following through, I forget. Unattended, it grows. I am aware of it getting larger, and it concerns me. I finally pay attention to it and make a conscious effort to bring it before the Healer of my soul, asking Him to remove it. And often discover that what seemed tiny to me and went unnoticed by others, often has deep roots. Invited in, God does what is necessary for the good health of my heart and soul and spirit. A wound left by the surgery required to remove sin is not easily ignored. Scarring may occur, but that is a small price to pay for a healthy relationship with God, and they are a beautiful testimony of the kindness of a Father who loves  and accepts us right where we find Him, but loves us too much to leave us there.

The scar that will be on the bridge of my nose, front and center for me and everyone else to see when I am able to go without a bandage in mid-April will serve as a good reminder to take care of sin as soon as I become aware it.