Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: Ow! (01/07/10)
-
TITLE: Fever Blister Frenzy | Previous Challenge Entry
By Catrina Bradley
01/14/10 -
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES
Then I felt it...that familiar tingle on my lip. The tingle turned into an itch, the itch into a sting, and when the alarm woke me the next morning, a good-sized bump had risen. At noon it was painful to the touch and had doubled in size, and by three o'clock a juicy, green gooseberry was attached to my lip.
Herpes simplex virus type 1.
More commonly known as a cold sore, or a fever blister.
How could I face my prospective employer with this monstrosity hanging off my mouth? By the time my husband came home at 3:30, I had worked myself into a frenzy and I sobbed on his generous shoulder. Bless his heart; Bill has survived 20 years of my cold sore craziness. He caressed and consoled me, carefully avoiding facial contact, and offered to deliver the application for me.
Seriously, bless his heart.
Cold sores that develop on the outside are not only painful, they're ugly and embarrassing. The emotional pain is as bad as the physical pain. The world stares at that hideous grown, and friends offer compassion while averting their eyes. When the blister forms a weeping scab, people know, and some console you. When the scab rubs off and the sore reopens, people notice and you are offered advice. And finally, when only a pink scar mars your lip, people see that too, and rejoice with you in your healing.
Despite these benefits of outer cold sores, I prefer the blisters that grow on the inside, hidden from the world, my nasty little secret. No one need see my ugliness and know I'm suffering. Ah, but the pain of a hidden pustule is ever so much more severe. In the moist darkness of its lair, the sore festers and is slow to heal. It's a constant pain, a continual reminder of its presence.
Likewise, I have a habit of preferring my sin infestations to stay hidden. I allow them to fester in the confines of my soul, a constant spike in my heart. The battle for spiritual healing rages inside, while I smile pretty and play the good Christian on the outside, pretending nothing is wrong.
Might it be better if I quit suffering in silence and loose my monstrosities from where I hide them away? The humiliation of revealing my sins may not be as excruciating as I fear.
After all, James tells us to confess to one another, to let others know we are infected with sin. Only then can our brothers and sisters in Christ fellowship with us in our sorrow, pray for us, and speed our healing. And finally, when all that remains of our sin is a scar, we can be an example to the world of the power of prayer and the restoration and redemption of Christ.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
Accept Jesus as Your Lord and Savior Right Now - CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
Colin
The only thing I had with this was, I was left a bit hanging at the end. Did she get the job or was she rushing the Lord's timing? I understand that wasn't the focus of the story in the end, but I was curious ;-)
Thanks for this wonderful piece!
I hope she got the job!