My husband often calls me a “Funny Little Woman”. I kind of like that, but he usually calls me that when I do something that either he would not do or does not understand. Recently, I have a renewed interest in something for which he would again consider calling me a funny little woman. A goodly portion of my new job has to deal with infection prevention. This used to be called infection control, but apparently we are trying to get out in front of these little buggers.

I am all about it. In my mind, I picture myself in a knight’s armor with a sword and shield preventing invasion from all manner of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and whatever. See? Funny little woman- wearing armor.

It gets worse. My boss recently purchased a three volume text book of infection control and epidemiology. It was love at first sight! I immediately found them a home on top of my desk and looked upon them with affection every time I passed by them and lovingly caressed their covers… sigh. I feel the attraction is mutual.

The day finally came, recently, when I was able to pick up the first volume, open its pages, and begin reading. I soon found this was no light, bathroom reading.

As I delved into the information printed in the text, I began to learn about how pathogens can enter a host (us) and begin to set up shop to do their thing… that thing being to begin to destroy tissue and make us sick.

Sometimes, we can be infected and not know it. An organism can come on in and just sort of hang out. The damage it causes does not rise to the level where it would be noticed by us, and yet there it is, festering and growing just beneath the surface. It stays below our radar until one day something happens. Maybe our resolve is attacked. Maybe we are under an unusual amount of stress, or we suffer an injury, and suddenly what was festering below the surface, rears its ugly head and knocks us on our behinds.

I think this can happen to us in our relationships, too. On the surface things can seem fine. Except that we often allow things to fester just beneath the surface. Maybe someone hurt our feelings. Maybe they slighted us in some small way. Perhaps they didn’t live up to our expectations of them and so we pushed down our disappointment, hurt, feelings of rejection or whatever until we hardly notice them there at all. We convince ourselves that we are good. Everything is fine. Until the day comes when we are tired, or stressed and that one person (usually our spouse) comes along and says or does the one thing that sends us over the edge. It surprises them, and it probably surprises us… the amount of emotion behind our reactions. (My poor husband…)

These things happen because we allow issues to set up residence in our hearts and minds. Sometimes these things have lived with us for so long that we just consider them like part of the family. Like a weird old uncle you just have to deal with at holidays and funerals. You’re not sure what to do about him, but you can’t get rid of him.

Just as there are things we can to do to prevent infection of our bodies by invading organisms, there are things we can do to prevent hurts and disappointments from taking up residence in our hearts and minds. I read a book once about offense. It said that dead people cannot take up offenses. I found that funny. Of course they can’t.

They’re dead.

When we say that we are going to die daily to self, and allow Christ to live in and through us, we are no longer easily offended or hurt.

Why?

Because we are no longer the center of our own universe. Because we put on the armor of God and protect ourselves, and we stop being victims of invading thoughts and ideas that try to slowly and deliberately overtake us. It’s time we put on our armor. We look hot in armor anyway, don’t we?