A study published by the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology revealed that patients seeking an appointment with a dermatologist to ask about a potentially cancerous mole have to wait substantially longer than those seeking Botox for wrinkles. Researchers reported that dermatologists in several major cities offered a typical wait of 8 days for a cosmetic patient wanting Botox to smooth wrinkles, compared with a typical wait of 26 days for a patient requesting evaluation of a changing mole. In Boston, the median Botox wait was 13 days, versus 68 days for a mole examination. In Seattle, the median Botox wait was 7 ½ days, compared with 35 days for a changing mole.
It’s not unusual for surface issues (that just require a little smoothing out) to receive prompt attention. Stretch it. Swell it. Tuck it. Deal with it and as soon as possible. Other issues that surface (which may be just the tip of the proverbial iceberg) are more demanding, time-intensive, and therefore more often ignored, postponed, denied. External wrinkles disappear. Internal wounds deepen.
It’s not difficult to overlay a spiritual application here. It’s generally easier to address public symptoms, rather than private struggles. How many times have you heard someone say, “I don’t know why I did or said or thought that. It’s really not who I am.”? Here’s my response to that rationalization: “ Of course, it’s you! Who else would it be?”. The part of you that usually gets covered over or stuffed down or pushed aside sometimes breaks through in astonishingly honest, and perhaps, embarrassing ways.
It’s not all of you. It’s likely not the best part of you. But it’s still you.
Denying it won’t make it go away.
Disguising it doesn’t help.
Denouncing it may make you feel a little better for a little while…or your dishonesty may make you feel much worse.
If you want a radical cure, take a cue from the Acts 2 crowd. Cry out with conviction, “What shall I do?”. Just like them, the beginning point for healing is to submit to heart surgery, an intrusive and insightful incision, courageously willing to be “cut to the heart.” Though a beard may cover a multitude of chins, only love covers a multitude of sins.
When life leaves you wounded, you won’t have to wait for the Gentle Healer.
When your injuries are internal, the Great Physician will see you immediately.
When your struggles are sin-deep, God will heal you from the inside out.
Dennis Lynn
Redwood Church
