Miasma -- God's Grace Cleans 'Bad Air,' Gives Clean Hearts

In 1854, doctors in London thought that the cholera epidemic was caused by miasma.

Miasma is an old word that means "bad air." It was common to blame all manner of ailments on dank, stale, smelly air. There was plenty of that in the crowded city due to the lack of sanitary sewage systems. Showers were not common either, and flushing toilets were unknown.

The science of germs was in its infancy. Joseph Lister hadn't yet made his mark. Vendors sold incense as a medicinal perfume meant to ward off contagion, much like cloves of garlic were used to banish vampires.

Before long, 600 victims had died of cholera in London. The city was in a panic. Today, we know how to prevent this fatal disease with simple hygiene and clean water sources.

Someone had the bright idea of mapping the location of the victims. Epidemiologists do this routinely today but back then it was new. When they plotted the location of the deaths, they made a surprising discovery - most of the deaths were clustered around one city water pump.

The next step was brilliant. They removed the pump handle. The cholera epidemic ended.

If something is pumping out poison, shouldn't it be stopped? Anything that carries contagion is a hazard, especially if it's coming out of a pipeline from which everyone drinks. We assume that public sources of water are safe, that it can't hurt us or harm our children. The people in Michigan drank water with lead in it for years before the problem was uncovered. But the damage was already done, much of it irreversible. The tainted source? The pipes!

Clean, safe pipes are a protection for us. Pure sources of air and water are a credit to good governance. Likewise, God's grace enables us to have clean hearts so we won't pollute our family, our listeners or our associates. Miasma is a real source of a deadly social disease.

Miasma is described in the Bible. "See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears." (Hebrews 12:15 NASB)

Here the source of contamination is "a root of bitterness." This is from an offense that has not been forgiven. Has something bad taken root in your heart? Is a grudge being held against someone? It becomes hatred and bitterness. Lodged in your heart, it pollutes emotions, speech, and relationships. In this scripture, the word "defiled" is from the root word for miasma. In other words, carrying bitterness in your heart causes it to spread like a disease, contaminating anyone nearby who takes it in.

Breathing air that has contagious disease germs can cause you to become sick. If you drink water that has poison dissolved in it, you can become ill or die. Miasma concealed in one person's heart causes other people to be tainted with the same sickness. It spreads rapidly.

RON WOOD IS A WRITER AND MINISTER. CONTACT HIM AT [email protected] OR VISIT WWW.TOUCHEDBYGRACE.ORG. THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR.