Sin Cancer?

I went to the dermatologist this week to have him look at a bump on my head.  It came up during camp a few weeks ago and looked like a big bug bite, but it wouldn't go away.  It kept getting bigger and was rather hard and red, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to have it checked out. 

When I walked into the office, I fully expected the doctor to laugh and tell me that I'd driven 45 minutes for nothing more than a pimple or bug bite.  However, he walked in, took one look, and said, "It's skin cancer.  We'll do a biopsy.  But, don't worry.  It's not the "bad" kind."

Somewhat in shock, I sat in the room waiting for the nurse to come do the biopsy.  I wear sunscreen, shirts with ultraviolet protection, etc.  How could I have a skin cancer?  And is there really such thing as a skin cancer that's "not bad?" 

The nurse came bustling in a few minutes later with a scalpel that I envisioned being somewhat like a machete. :)  She announced that, not only were they going to do a biopsy, they were also going to remove the entire bump.  I was fine with that!  By all means, get it as far away from me as I could!  It was annoying me just by being there, and I certainly didn't want anything connected to the word "cancer" anywhere near me!   I didn't hesitate in agreeing to the procedure, and she quickly and effectively removed the bump, assuring me that they'd call within 10 days to let me know if further action needed to be taken.

In the grand scheme of things, this incident at the doctor is probably going to turn out to be just a minor blip on the radar of my life, but on the way home, as I listened to an audio sermon, I must confess that my mind wandered.  Perhaps it is a stretch, I began to think about the similarities between skin cancer and SIN cancer.   How often does sin creep into our lives, almost unnoticed?  How often does a sin that's "not the bad kind" (in our eyes, NOT God's) linger and just sort of annoy us, and yet we do nothing about it?  When this bump came up, I was very intolerant.  It was abnormal, it was unusual, it was not what I wanted on my head.  And yet, sin should be abnormal, unusual, and unwelcome in our lives, but we often allow it to hang around!  I wanted the skin cancer removed as quickly and as far from me as possible! I didn't care that the doctor didn't consider it to be dangerous.   I didn't want to take a chance that it was the "bad" kind and could spread.   I was willing to do whatever it took to get rid of it, even having it cut off.  Am I willing to do the same with sin, even if removing it from my life is temporarily painful?   Maybe it means I have to end a worldly relationship with someone I know.  Maybe it means I have to stop participating in something that once was "fun."  Perhaps it means I need to monitor my tongue and speech more closely.  Unlike skin cancer, with the cancer of sin, there are no "bad" and "not bad" varieties.  To God, sin is sin.  It is transgression of His law.  There are no "big" sins and "little sins.  All are equal in God's eyes.  When I find sin present in my life, am I intent on preventing its spread to other parts of my life?  Whatever sin it is, am I as diligent in ridding my life of sin as I was in ridding my head of a suspicious bump?  Are we?  Are you?