Casandra Martin

My daughter got a new dog. She is a rescued dog, adopted from a shelter. It took about two minutes for them to fall in love with each other. Her new pup is a black and white mutt who is just as cute as she can be. We don’t know what she went through before her adoption, but she is slowly learning what it means to live a safe, loved (somewhat spoiled) life with my daughter.

One day, while loving on her new dog, my daughter discovered that her pet had fleas. Fleas are tiny, but have the power to spread disease and make life miserable. The battle began. The pesky bugs were buried deep in the dog’s soft fur. A trip to the groomers, flea medicine, a flea bath, a flea collar, and a flea comb later find my daughter with a lighter wallet and a protocol to follow to combat her dog’s invaders. It takes vigilance and deliberate attention to defeat the fleas, but my daughter is determined to win.

My son reminded me that dealing with fleas is a lot like dealing with sin. Small and pesky, one sin doesn’t seem like it can do much harm, but, just like fleas, sin can rapidly grow and multiply, making us miserable and infecting us with its poison. The only way to deal with sin is through vigilance and deliberate attention. Every day we have to be thankful for the price Jesus paid to make us clean, and use the tools He gives us to keep sin at bay.

My Jesus Resolution today is to deal head-on with my “fleas.” My fleas are real, invasive, and sometimes buried very deep. I am thankful that Jesus rescued and adopted me. As His child, He is willing and able to deal with my flea problem. The antidotes to sin require a complete transformation of my heart. Bible study, prayer, and rich fellowship with other Christians help me watch for the pesky sins that creep into my life. Repentance keeps bringing me back to the blood that makes me clean and whole. Fleas are a nuisance. Sin is dangerous. Jesus is the cure.