Warts and all...

Nobody likes warts. I know I don't. They're bumpy and weird and everyone thinks if you touch them, you're going to die or something! (OK, not that bad but you know what I mean.) Especially as a kid, there's almost nothing more embarrassing you can have on your body.
So, when my lovely, beautiful daughter developed a wart cluster on her toe the size of nickel, I broke down and brought her to the doctor to see what she could do about it. We were both hoping we'd walk in the doctor's office, and the doctor would use some magic potion (or freezing liquid nitrogen would do) to make them disappear in a snap. But, nope, that's not how this story goes.
Instead, when my daughter showed her Dr. the warts, the doctor gasped, covered her mouth and said she'd never seen anything like that. And then, and then... she proceeded to tell my daughter there was nothing she could do for it/them. She simply suggested my daughter try to get rid of them on her own, maybe try some Duct tape or something.
WHAT?!?
Now, I'm not saying that's bad advice. Maybe that's the best chance we have with the warts. But my daughter was more embarrassed than ever and now walks around with duct tape around her big toe trying to hide her warts.
It reminded me of sin. Especially that really BIG personal sin that each person has. It seems too "big" or too "gross" or too "weird" for us to think God can handle it. We think God will be like this doctor and when we present it to Him, he'll turn us away and say "you better just go fix that on your own. It kind of freaks me out."
So, even if we are Christians, we keep refusing to surrender this sin to him. We hide it under Duct tape and hope we'll figure out how to fix it on our own. But when we lift up that Duct tape, it's still there. As big and ugly as it ever was.
I will admit, I have a sin wart like that. In fact, I have a couple. They're usually hidden away, but they're always there. Why don't I trust God with them? I don't know. I should know better. In fact, I DO know better. But it doesn't stop me from hoping I'll straighten them out on my own and not need God's help with them.
How about you? Do you have any warty sins? Things you've been hiding away under Duct tape? Let's make a vow to acknowledge that our God is bigger and better than my daughter's doctor. He won't be squeemish or turn us away. He has the best liquid nitrogen out there. It's called GRACE.