I don’t think there has been a year, or time, where I have been more grateful for Easter. And not because of the obvious reason that is facing our nation (although that definitely contributes to it), but from the lessons I have and continue to learn from the past two months.
During this time, I have been ridding my body of toxins like heavy metal, yeast, and parasites... And as a result, I have never better understood the sinful nature of man, and the hope we can have in Christ.
I will try to spare you the details (especially the gross ones) that come with detoxing but bear with me for a bit as I try to illustrate my point. Let me start by explaining what parasites are. Parasites simply are a living organism that lives in another organism and causes harm to its host. They repopulate (at an exponential rate) and wreak havoc on the body. I like to think of them as evil… Pure evil.
When harmful organisms (read evil) are being killed and leaving (hopefully) your body, a chemical reaction (this website does a great job at explaining the science of this) occurs that is called die-off. Now die-off can occur in a myriad of ways depending on the harmful organism and its host, i.e. the person. This reaction could be any and/or all of the following: fatigue, muscle aches, brain fog, bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation, headaches, skin rashes, stomach cramping, teeth grinding, anxiety, and mood disorders, etc.
Now, to say I experience these symptoms would be an understatement. I am living (most) of these symptoms daily. Some days I am completely “normal”, and other days I am “not Clara” as my mom says. Some days I am able to walk, play tennis, laugh, be social, etc. Other days I cannot get off the couch and between naps am either snapping at people or sobbing for no apparent reason.
Before I go any further let me do a quick context explainer/disclaimer: I am in a unique position where I am able to be very aggressive. This detox program is the only thing in my life I am doing. AND I am under the care of a very qualified professional who knows when we need to back off to not harm my body. By no means would I ever recommend doing any detox program (especially if you’re going to be aggressive) without the correct qualified professional. Okay disclaimer over.
I will never forget one of the times that we ramped it up a notch on my detox (i.e. got more aggressive). I want you to think of the most bratty, awful, rude, mean, just horrible lady you have ever known. Now multiply it by 10. And maybe you are close to how I was during this time…. Any word that came out of my mouth was pure hate. No matter how hard I tried to be kind and loving, I just couldn’t. My mom would kindly, but at the moment it felt like the most judgmental/managing/nagging/annoying mom way, ask me if I needed anything. What would I do? Reply with words of hate. It was scary. I was scary.
Thankfully, this extreme I experienced didn’t last but maybe a few days. As my body adjusted to the aggressive detox, I started to level out… some. The extremes of anger and emotional-ness might not have lasted long, but the underlying tones have. For weeks, I felt angry, emotional, sad, depressed, and just not like me. Now you might not believe this, especially after what I told you earlier, but I am not typically an angry person. So why am I so angry and the craziest lady you have ever seen. The obvious reason – I am detoxing from parasitic infections and experiencing die-off. But the bigger truth – we live in a fallen and broken world, and I have fleshly nature.
Never in my life have I experienced the extremes of our sinful nature than while detoxing from parasites. And it has given me the most appreciation for what this weekend is. A weekend where death was defeated and life can be had. Now, if you are reading this and are not entirely sure what I am talking about please take 4 minutes and watch this video.
Now, not only have these parasitic die off reactions taught me about my fleshly nature, it has provided a beautiful analogy for what sin does in our life. You see, sin is like a parasite. It comes in and CAN overtake our life. Just like my parasitic die-off reactions that I can’t control, sin CAN have the same effect… making it impossible to respond in love, to love, and be love. But it doesn’t have to. Just like these parasites don’t have to stay in my body. I can heal and have a life that is free from disease and infections. A life that is full of love and laughter. And just like I don’t have to be enslaved to these toxins, I don’t have to be enslaved to sin.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10
But, this requires a choice. And it is quite a beautiful choice we have. Just like choosing to be free from these toxins requires work and is not easy, choosing to be free from sin requires work and is not easy. But let me tell you… that choice, that work, that life is 100% worth it.
I have told you a lot about the horrors of detoxing, but let me tell you about some of the joys too - increased energy, mental clarity, deeper relationships, and just an overall better love for life. It is like on those good days, I feel alive. And not just in the way that I am breathing and my heart is beating, but truly alive. It is something that you can’t really put into words unless you’ve experienced it. But I think Romans 8 does a really good job at this.
“But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” Romans 8:10-11
See through Christ, we can have this abundant life. A life that in the midst of adversity, we can have joy and hope. A life that is not defined by our sinful nature but by who God says we are. It only requires a choice. A choice to believe. Then from that belief we develop a relationship with Jesus. And in that relationship, is where true freedom and peace lie.
So, this Easter I am more than grateful for what Jesus did on that cross. I am rejoicing in the Truth that I am not defined by my experiences or symptoms but solely by who I am in Christ which is only made possible through the cross.