Sometimes life is like an itch. An itch can either be small like a mosquito bite or large like a rash that encompasses areas of the body. Everyone knows you should not scratch something that itches because it only intensifies the problem. Everyone also knows that it is a challenge not to scratch. The more you mess with it, the worse it becomes. Sometimes it bleeds, oozes or gets infected. Depending on the cause, it can often spread. The itchiness becomes your focus, even when you try to ignore it.

Our lives are often the same. The “itch” might be a person, an upcoming decision, a sin in our life, a poor choice, resentment, bitterness or unforgiveness. The possibilities are endless and just like a physical itch the spiritual itch can consume us. You might find yourself constantly rehashing what happened, mentally creating “worst case scenarios” or gossiping to justify your version. You might even complain in “great holiness” to the Lord about the unfairness. This merely intensifies the pain and itchiness.

In the natural, knowing what caused the itch helps in finding a remedy. A mosquito bite might just need some hydrocortisone cream or hives might require an antihistamine. When you know the cause, you can often relieve the problem. 

The spiritual “itch” requires the same. You need to search your heart to discover its root. Often our mind says it is one thing, but our heart believes something different. The disparity of the two intensifies the itch. The mind usually takes the forefront with its logic while the heart becomes devalued because it merely “feels.”  Luke 6:45 reminds us that “out of the abundance of the heart a mouth speaks.”  When you seriously take the “itch” to the Lord, He often lets the heart speak.

The greatest challenge in letting the heart speak is trusting that the Lord will be there when all the stuff pours out. Having a close friend listen while you unburden your heart to the Lord opens the door to keeping it real. It is easy to make excuses when we are just by ourselves. I have found that when I let my heart speak and give whatever it is carrying to the Lord, He always takes it and replaces it with exactly what I need. Each time He brings me peace and the “itch” is gone.

Do you have an itch, a heaviness, a burden that seems impossible? If so, are you willing to go to the root and release it? The Great Physician is waiting.

~ Marianne Wright