thecrump

I both love and hate spring.  

The weather is perfect (especially here in NC).  The refreshing showers & thunderstorms are great.  The flowers are blooming.  And then there's the pollen.

If you have lived in NC long you may notice that around this time your car begins to turn an interesting shade of yellow.  This happens to our cars, our porch, our dog, and anything else outside long enough to get covered.  Up until I was 20 I had never really noticed the pollen.  Maybe it was just because I was not effected by it or maybe there wasn't as much, but either way once I turned 20 I began suffering from the yellow curse.

Another thing I have noticed is that for the past 5 years or so the cases of allergy suffering seems to have increased quite a bit.  Adults and children sneezing, dripping, weeping with symptoms of seasonal allergies...and I have a theory why this may be on the rise.

The verse I began this post with from Genesis 3 is part of the curse that fell on man and the earth after Adam sinned.  The curse was that the earth would bring about thorns and thistles making it hard work to bring about food.  Of course, we understand that there is much more than thorns and thistles with that curse.  There is drought, soil issues, weeds, and much more that causes problems when growing food.

And therefore, here is my theory.

I don't know about you but I do not grow my own food.  I may have a garden but if my family and I were to use our garden as a means of survival we would die in a few days (you can only eat so many tomatoes).  Instead we head to the closet (and cheapest) grocery store where we choose all the food we can afford.  We pick fruit, not off the tree, but off a shelf.  We choose beans, not out of the ground, but in the frozen food section.  All in all it is not a toilsome process (except the occasional fussy kid).

So, am I able to sidestep the curse?  I don't have to toil or suffer with the ground.  I know I still have to work to make money but my Mac does not grow thorns or thistles and sitting at my desk in an air conditioned office does not really proclaim "cursed".  My theory is that the increase in allergy suffering could very well be an extension of the curse of the earth that goes all the way back to Adam.  No matter if you are a farmer or a graphic designer you cannot escape the pollen that flows through the air without a trace.  Every sneeze, every Zyrtec taken, every bloodshot eye is a reminder that we are fallen and that this earth has been cursed because of our sin.  The increase in allergy suffering could very well be God's way of trying to get the attention of a fallen world who thinks it's ok.

Regardless, I personally am reminded of my sin and the fallen state of our world every time I stare in the mirror at my red eyes.  One day this will be gone.  My body will be new.  The earth will be new.  My King will be on His throne and all will be made right.  That time is coming and I look forward to it with great anticipation.

Until then I guess I should wear a mask, put on goggles, and plug my nose because this allergy stuff is about to kill me.