Removing Warts

Recently, I watched my brother try to pull out a wart he had acquired over the past few months. He tried many methods, including applying ointments and simply picking at the wart, to no avail. He even applied an ointment which caused his skin to fall off, but the wart still remained. It was simply too deeply rooted to pull out in one sitting. I also found some home remedies online, but discovered most of them required applying a substance each day and slowly filing off the wart until it was completely gone.

Similarly, in our spiritual journey, we often build up bad habits or sins that become ingrained within us. When we are finally determined to remove these inner warts, we may also find that we cannot pull them out in one sitting. Therefore, we must also constantly be aware and patiently get rid of them every day with the Word of God and prayer.

Being patient is not always easy either. We often like to use our own methods or search for quick fixes to our problems. These solutions, however, often fail and cause us pain. In addition, the root of our problems still remains, deep and intact.

On the other hand, if we rely on God through His Word and prayer, our attitude and mindset become more and more Christ-like. Though the outcome may not be visible at first, as we slowly remove our inner warts with the help of our Lord Jesus Christ, He will uproot the iniquities deeply embedded within us. 

Let us continue to turn to our Lord and cry out to Him in prayer like David did—to wash us thoroughly until we are entirely clean: “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin” (Ps 51:2).

Questions for Reflection

1.      What kind of ‘warts’ do we have in our spiritual life today?

2.      How can we slowly remove them without losing patience or hope?