"Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.
Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment."
Isaiah 1:4-6
The symbolism here of spiritual sickness being like physical sickness is a strong one, and quite appropriate. I think we might take spiritual sickness less seriously *because* we don't see these physical manifestations... the putrifying sores, open wounds, serious bruises... but our spiritual wounds are not less ugly, or deadly, because we don't see them with our physical eyes.
When we get physically wounded or sick, we typically don't just lie there and bleed or puke all over the rug. We do something about it. We take some vitamin C, or some cough syrup. We get stitches or we go see the doctor. We stay home to recover, or we alter our lives in other ways so that we can rest and feel better.
We don't *have* to suffer our spiritual illnesses either, and just lie there letting our souls shrivel up. Just as we treat a physical sickness, we can also treat a spiritual one. Turning to the Lord, reading our scriptures, saying our prayers, attending church, going to the temple, feeling the spirit in our lives. These are all balms for our spiritual wounds. Today, let's turn to the Lord for help with our spiritual ailments. As we do, he will bind up our spiritual wounds and help us heal and grown stronger.
Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment."
Isaiah 1:4-6
The symbolism here of spiritual sickness being like physical sickness is a strong one, and quite appropriate. I think we might take spiritual sickness less seriously *because* we don't see these physical manifestations... the putrifying sores, open wounds, serious bruises... but our spiritual wounds are not less ugly, or deadly, because we don't see them with our physical eyes.
When we get physically wounded or sick, we typically don't just lie there and bleed or puke all over the rug. We do something about it. We take some vitamin C, or some cough syrup. We get stitches or we go see the doctor. We stay home to recover, or we alter our lives in other ways so that we can rest and feel better.
We don't *have* to suffer our spiritual illnesses either, and just lie there letting our souls shrivel up. Just as we treat a physical sickness, we can also treat a spiritual one. Turning to the Lord, reading our scriptures, saying our prayers, attending church, going to the temple, feeling the spirit in our lives. These are all balms for our spiritual wounds. Today, let's turn to the Lord for help with our spiritual ailments. As we do, he will bind up our spiritual wounds and help us heal and grown stronger.
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