Casandra Martin

Traveling through the airport inevitably leads to the security area. Standing in the line, you can watch as travelers of different levels of experience approach the scanner. The people who travel often appear a little bored. They wait their turn, know what to take off, set out, and walk through. Others are a little nervous. They move through the queue watching the people in front of them take off their shoes, pull out electronics, and respond to the beeps with wide eyes.

Eventually, it is my turn. I take off my shoes, put my liquids in the bin, and step into the scanner. For three seconds, I am asked to stand still while the scanner sweeps over me looking for explosives or other dangers. Once the scan is finished, I wait for the green light so that I can move toward my flight. I never get a green light.

For some reason, my left shoulder gets flagged every time I go through the scanner. I don’t know why. It doesn’t matter what shirt I am wearing, whether I have a sweater on, or how high I raise my arms. The scanner tells the security people to check my left shoulder for a problem.

If the scanner could look into my heart, it would find a reoccurring flag there as well. We all struggle with different kinds of sin, but everyone has one type of sin that keeps coming up over and over. It is a sin that eats away at our peace, faces us in the morning when we get up, and is still there when we brush our teeth at night. These sins dog our confidence, cause us to question our faith, and just seem to grow stronger the more we search for a way around them.  

God’s grace is the answer to even those most stubborn sins. Surrender opens the door and invites God to dig the deep root of sin out of our hearts. Jesus’ presence helps us see just how intertwined these sins are in our habits and attitudes. His love invites us to live in a different reality.

My Jesus Resolution is to undergo God’s scan. I am going to let His Word be a mirror for my heart. I want to pay attention to the flags that it raises about places that hold the potential for danger. I want to empty myself of pride, selfishness, and control and let God’s scan reveal the spots that need His gracious touch. When I walk through the scanner, my deepest desire is for the likeness of Jesus to be what is most clearly seen.