Chiggers bite

I wouldn't exactly call having chiggers a pleasant experience.

In fact, it can be rather miserable.

Those pesky little mites are so sneaky and conniving, leaving red welts on us that make us want to scratch until we draw blood. And don't even get me started on the whole nail polish myth—trust me, it doesn't work. I just end up scratching through the polish.

My most recent battle with chiggers caused me to do some extensive research on the microscopic demons. The whole process is actually quite disgusting—they inject saliva into their victims, and then the chiggers start feeding on the liquified tissue (thanks to the Missouri Department of Conservation for this lovely information). Apparently this is what causes the bites to itch to such an extreme degree.

They are less than 1/150th of an inch in diameter.

Scratching chigger bites reminds me a lot of sin: it's so tempting, and it is quite a pleasing experience for a moment in time. While you're scratching those nasty formations on your legs, it feels so good. But then you stop the scratching, and the itch isn't necessarily gone; you haven't really solved the problem or cured your ailment. Rather, you just had a temporary time of relief.

Similarly, that's how we often respond in certain situations where we are tempted with sin. We see an opportunity to do something that perhaps we know we shouldn't, but we go for it, anyway. And we might even enjoy it—until after the fact when we reflect on what we did, and the guilt settles. We don't feel better, because our problems have not been fixed, and we have to face reality again. It might make people laugh when you say something negative about a peer or co-worker, but does it really make you feel better to gossip about others? Do you really reveal Christ when you let the itching of sin turn into a scratching by you?

When you're a little kid, and you get something like chickenpox or chiggers, it's really easy not to listen to those who tell you not to scratch them. You don't really understand the implications of what could happen if you do scratch until those suckers bleed. Try telling a 4-year-old not to touch those chickenpox. Nice try, Mom.

Here is something that you might not find so comforting about chiggers: "Lotions will relieve the itching somewhat, but no substance is completely effective. The only ultimate cure is time, since there is nothing you can do to dislodge the chigger's feeding tube, the true cause of your itch. You must simply wait until your body breaks down and absorbs the foreign object."

Instead of rushing into scratching the chigger demons, just wait. Instead of rushing into the depths of sin, just wait and trust God to guide you in the path toward righteousness.

Sin chiggers will come and go in life—what's important is that we know that we can defeat them with the strength we have in Him.