What My Pink Eye Fear Taught Me

Pink Eye: My greatest fear.

The very mention of this eye-issue sent me into a full-fledged frenzy. We are talking Clorox wipes, cloroxing; knees on the ground, beseeching Heaven; requests for latex gloves were becoming increasingly louder; a lock-down status was handed to my husband with the utmost of eye-avoidance care. I was eying sheets wondering how to inform the love of my life that he would be spending the night on the couch.

If this pink problem was going to rear its ugly eye, we were going to be ready. And I was not going to be taking part in the germ festivities.

The next morning, a full 18 hours after Eric’s concern was spoken, I was scrubbing myself in the shower begging Jesus to protect my eyes and my hands and my skin and my knees and my spleen – hey, who knows how deep pink eye can really go – when I felt the nudging of the Holy Spirit.

“Kristen, why don’t you protect your spiritual health like this?”

Loaded question. One that had me fumbling with my Dove body wash and loofah.

How true is this?

We do our very best to protect ourselves from physical ailments and sickness at the very mention of anything that would be harmful to us. Flu season ushers in flu shots. Common colds have us making batches of chicken soup. We work out to stay in shape. We watch what we eat to avoid high cholesterol and too much body fat.

We are on guard when it comes to our physical health.

What if this was how we approached our spiritual health? What if at the very mention of sin, we began to guard ourselves against it? What if at the very sound of gossip, we fled? Or if at the sight of impatience we hit our knees and asked Jesus for help?

1 Peter 5:8 speaks to us,

“Be self-controlled and alert.

Your enemy the devil prowls around

like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

I love the way The Message Bible puts it,

“Keep a cool head. Stay alert.

The Devil is poised to pounce,

and would like nothing better

than to catch you napping.

Keep your guard up.”

What would happen this week if before the threat of sin, we guarded ourselves by putting on the Full Armor?

My challenge this week is to make my spiritual health a priority.

Will you join me?

Kristen Schiffman

A New Yorker living in Texas, Kristen is just trying to make sense of sweet tea and A/C units. Together with her best friend & husband, Eric, she enjoys sketching out new ideas over Starbuck’s. As the Founder and Ministry Director of Exemplify Online & Magazine, Kristen (along with her team of writers!) daily ministers to women across the world. Previously writing bible study curriculum for various Christian ministries, Kristen now writes for the ministry of Exemplify. She contributes regularly to The Internet Café , has been a featured speaker at A Woman Inspired Conferences and continues to write and teach women through in depth bible studies. Kristen’s passion is equipping those in leadership to serve with excellence, encouraging women to get to know God through His Word and challenging women to live out their God-given purpose.

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