Jesus is our Great Physician.
I have been thinking about that lately. I have been thinking about physicians and how they go about healing people. I came up with two ways that they deal with illness, injury, and disease. Let me just say that I know very little about the medical profession so I am certain that there is much that I will miss, but here goes me thoughts.
Surgery
The doctor sees us and tells us that surgery is necessary. Our need is so great that we need to have it dealt by the doctor cutting into us to repair, remove, or even put something in us. Surgery is evasive. It is painful. It leaves a scar. It involves a recovery time. It is necessary.
Sometimes God does surgery on us. Sometimes we need something dealt with, removed from our lives, put back together, or repaired. And He preforms the necessary surgery to bring it about. Sometimes it feels like a punch in the gut. It is evasive. It goes into areas in our lives that we guard or are too consider too painful to be touched. We have a scar to remember the surgery. We also have a recovery time that may seem long and probably includes some sort of "spiritual" physical therapy. And it is necessary.
Therapy
Sometimes the doctor tells us that is going to take time, but we will get better. We need to take medication. We need to follow a routine. We have to go in for visits to see how we are progressing. The medicine might be hard to swallow and even taste bad. The routine we have to follow takes so much time and it might even hurt. Ever have to go through physical therapy? If yes, then you know what I mean. Although it is painful and takes time it is necessary.
Sometimes that is the way God heals us. The healing takes a long time. At first it seems like the medicine isn't working. The therapy hurts and we don't see any change. Gradually we do get better. When spend more time seeking Him. We find that each time we have to deal with hurt we realize that it hurts a bit less and the recovery time is less. And it is necessary.
One of the best parts of God's healing is we don't have to make an appointment. He is always available. Unlike human doctors God knows for sure how long the healing time will take. He knows if the procedure and medicine will work. He knows when to do the surgery. He knows when to administer the medicine. He knows when we need to rest. He is the perfect physician.
I wish I never had to endure times of healing, but I would much rather He heal me then leave in the painful, mess. I'll have to remember that they next time He is doing some healing in me.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Not Against Flesh and Blood
I believe that God lines things up, brings things in bunches, so that I can realize that it's really from Him. I have been reading a fiction book about spiritual warfare. I know there are some who don't believe that it is as powerful and true as I do. All I can say is once you have experienced it for yourself you can no longer deny it is real. And if you haven't experienced it for yourself you might need to be concerned that satan doesn't consider you enough of a threat to bother attacking you.
Anyway, back to the point. I have been reading this book, praying more intensely for my students, and had some ask me about some books that were "spiritual". See, He brings it in bunches like I said. Well, the book I'm reading has reminded me that I do not fight against flesh and blood although it sure feels like it at times. Ephesians 6:12 says "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." ESV
There are so many "christians" who don't believe in evil or hell or demons. The Bible clearly says that there are and that we are wrestling with them! That "we" in the verse is Christians. We tend to think once we are saved satan can't mess with us. Jesus has defeated him so I don't need to worry about him. Jesus did defeat him, but until the end of this world he is going to keep trying to take people down with him. Yes, you are wrestling against him!
So this week I went to work for three days due to the killer cold keeping me out for two. During those three days I have prayed in my room before the kids came in and commanded certain spirits that they have no authority in my room, in the name of Jesus. Well, they weren't happy about it and it was three rough days. I even had a serious issue of girl drama and I haven't had any of that all year! Some demons are wrestling back. I can't give up though and Monday I will enter my room and pray again. I will continue to fight the enemy on the spiritual level.
I looked into the "spiritual" books shared with me and saw false religion all over it. The Bible tells us that there will be people who come along and pervert the Gospel. People says things that sound right, smart, logical. Yet these people are leading others away from the Truth. The book of Jude is just one place you can read about these people. We have to be so very careful of what we expose ourselves to. The thing that really bothered me about these books, besides the attempt to take people away from the Truth, was that they are written for hurting people. The very people who satan has messed with and caused them pain and know he is trying to "heal" them. He can't heal anyone. The only one who can bring healing, and no his name is not time, is God. He is the one who heals the brokenhearted. See Psalm 34:18 and Psalm 147:3 and Isaiah 61:1 and there are more verses that speak of His healing.
The real reason I sat down to write this post was this revelation God gave me. Christians think we can't be hurt by satan.We think we can't be deceived by him. We think of him as defeated and a joke. He likes that, no he loves that. Because it allows him to freely reek havoc amongst us. God showed me that even the closest ones to Him can be deceived.
Eve walked and talked with God on a daily basis. She saw God! She actually saw Him and talked to Him! You can't get much closer to Him than Adam and Eve were. She heard Him say, "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, 'You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.'" Genesis 2:16 ESV.
Satan shows up one chapter later with, "He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.'” Genesis 3:1-5 ESV.
Do you see it? Eve heard God say you can't eat of the tree, not that you can't touch it. Do you see that satan doesn't correct her mistake, he compounds it by telling her that she won't die. She walked and talked with God and even she misquoted Him and even she believed the lies of satan. We Christians misquote the Scriptures all the time! Why do you think there is so much division and pointing-down-your finger going on in the church? Because we misquote God and satan jumps on it. He runs with it. He causes death from it.
We need to stop putting our heads in the sand and acting like satan isn't at work in our world, in our churches, and even in our lives. Not that we can start claiming "the devil made me do it" either, but we need to bury our head in His Word and check. We need to check to see if what our pastors are preaching is Truth or does it just sound good or go along with our denominational thinking. We need to check out organizations that are promising healing and see if they line up with the Word. We need to check what we say and what we believe and see if it actually lines up with the Word of God. We need to realize that yes, people are fleshy and act out of their own desires, wants, and selfishness, but they also are being used by satan. Anything, a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g, that doesn't line up with the Word of God that we say or do can and will be used by satan to cause division, strife, fear, hurt, destruction, shame, loathing, anger, and so on an so one, ultimately leading to death.
The good news is the Good News! We have the Word of God that we can turn to, stand on, and proclaim to help defeat the work of satan. We can pray and it has great power. James 5:16b tells us "The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." ESV. We can speak against the enemy in the name of Jesus and the enemy will flee, it may take time but it will happen. (Acts 16:18)
Not sure how to close this. Someone asked what I did instead of attending formal church and I told her spend time with Jesus. This is what happens when I do. He speaks to me! :)
Anyway, back to the point. I have been reading this book, praying more intensely for my students, and had some ask me about some books that were "spiritual". See, He brings it in bunches like I said. Well, the book I'm reading has reminded me that I do not fight against flesh and blood although it sure feels like it at times. Ephesians 6:12 says "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." ESV
There are so many "christians" who don't believe in evil or hell or demons. The Bible clearly says that there are and that we are wrestling with them! That "we" in the verse is Christians. We tend to think once we are saved satan can't mess with us. Jesus has defeated him so I don't need to worry about him. Jesus did defeat him, but until the end of this world he is going to keep trying to take people down with him. Yes, you are wrestling against him!
So this week I went to work for three days due to the killer cold keeping me out for two. During those three days I have prayed in my room before the kids came in and commanded certain spirits that they have no authority in my room, in the name of Jesus. Well, they weren't happy about it and it was three rough days. I even had a serious issue of girl drama and I haven't had any of that all year! Some demons are wrestling back. I can't give up though and Monday I will enter my room and pray again. I will continue to fight the enemy on the spiritual level.
I looked into the "spiritual" books shared with me and saw false religion all over it. The Bible tells us that there will be people who come along and pervert the Gospel. People says things that sound right, smart, logical. Yet these people are leading others away from the Truth. The book of Jude is just one place you can read about these people. We have to be so very careful of what we expose ourselves to. The thing that really bothered me about these books, besides the attempt to take people away from the Truth, was that they are written for hurting people. The very people who satan has messed with and caused them pain and know he is trying to "heal" them. He can't heal anyone. The only one who can bring healing, and no his name is not time, is God. He is the one who heals the brokenhearted. See Psalm 34:18 and Psalm 147:3 and Isaiah 61:1 and there are more verses that speak of His healing.
The real reason I sat down to write this post was this revelation God gave me. Christians think we can't be hurt by satan.We think we can't be deceived by him. We think of him as defeated and a joke. He likes that, no he loves that. Because it allows him to freely reek havoc amongst us. God showed me that even the closest ones to Him can be deceived.
Eve walked and talked with God on a daily basis. She saw God! She actually saw Him and talked to Him! You can't get much closer to Him than Adam and Eve were. She heard Him say, "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, 'You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.'" Genesis 2:16 ESV.
Satan shows up one chapter later with, "He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.'” Genesis 3:1-5 ESV.
Do you see it? Eve heard God say you can't eat of the tree, not that you can't touch it. Do you see that satan doesn't correct her mistake, he compounds it by telling her that she won't die. She walked and talked with God and even she misquoted Him and even she believed the lies of satan. We Christians misquote the Scriptures all the time! Why do you think there is so much division and pointing-down-your finger going on in the church? Because we misquote God and satan jumps on it. He runs with it. He causes death from it.
We need to stop putting our heads in the sand and acting like satan isn't at work in our world, in our churches, and even in our lives. Not that we can start claiming "the devil made me do it" either, but we need to bury our head in His Word and check. We need to check to see if what our pastors are preaching is Truth or does it just sound good or go along with our denominational thinking. We need to check out organizations that are promising healing and see if they line up with the Word. We need to check what we say and what we believe and see if it actually lines up with the Word of God. We need to realize that yes, people are fleshy and act out of their own desires, wants, and selfishness, but they also are being used by satan. Anything, a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g, that doesn't line up with the Word of God that we say or do can and will be used by satan to cause division, strife, fear, hurt, destruction, shame, loathing, anger, and so on an so one, ultimately leading to death.
The good news is the Good News! We have the Word of God that we can turn to, stand on, and proclaim to help defeat the work of satan. We can pray and it has great power. James 5:16b tells us "The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." ESV. We can speak against the enemy in the name of Jesus and the enemy will flee, it may take time but it will happen. (Acts 16:18)
Not sure how to close this. Someone asked what I did instead of attending formal church and I told her spend time with Jesus. This is what happens when I do. He speaks to me! :)
Sunday, February 10, 2013
I Will Guard My Heart and Mind Even If It Offends or Upsets You!
Lately, I have felt God wanting me to open up and deepen friendships I have and develop new ones as well. I honestly have had some difficulties with friendships. I don't think I'm a bad friend, but I do know that at times I have let friends have more of the say in our relationship. Partly that is due to my personality. I am not a confrontational person so that has allowed people to take advantage of me at times. Because of that I am pretty guarded in my friendships and that isn't such a good thing if you want to make your friendships deeper.
So, lately God has brought some new friends into my life. I have truly enjoyed getting to know them. It makes me happy to know that He has helped me to get to the point in my life where I am free enough to make new friends. I have also loved having friendships deepen. Once again, it is nice to be at a point where I can open up more so my friendships can deepen.
This past week I spent a lot of time at a conference with one of my friends. I had a good time with her and I think we connected even more than before. It makes me feel happy to see this friendship grow. We have a significant age difference, but that doesn't seem to matter. I have been a Christian since I was nine and she has recently given her heart to God. We honestly don't have too much in common when I really think about it, but that doesn't seem to matter at all.
She asked me to join her book club recently. Honestly, I wasn't sure about it. I love to read, but I don't do much secular reading and I knew this club would be reading secular books. Even though I wasn't sure about it, I went ahead and did it. The first meeting went well, even though I didn't have time to read the book. It was nice hanging out with the group and talking, about the book and other things. Then came the time to pick a new book. Slowly people came up with suggestions and we got on our smart phones to find out about the books.
One of the books is something I would not read, well actually more than one, but I stated that it wasn't something I would read. It is a psychological thriller and I just don't do that genre in reading or viewing. I know that for me spiritually this is not a good choice for me.Unfortunately, that is the book they decided to read.
Well, I won't be reading that book nor any book that I feel is wrong for me or morally wrong. I truly believe that the Scripture that tells us that we are in the world but not of it makes it clear for me what to stay away from. Not to say I am perfect and always make decisions that aren't worldly. I wish that I did always make the right choice, but I am imperfect and that means I will make the wrong choices from time to time. Hopefully less often as I go along.
So I wasn't sure how to deal with this situation. I don't want to come across as judgemental or as a prude, but I have to do what I know is right according to His Word. So I clicked on my verse of the day and it is Philippians 4:6-7. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
I think these verses make it very clear that I need to go to Him in prayer. He promises His peace, that surpasses understanding, and this verse also says that His peace will guard my heart and mind. That is key for me because I feel that exposing my heart and mind to certain things will damage them. That is something I am not willing to do.
Now, for my "preachy" moment. I truly as concerned about the road that I see too many women going down of late. I am truly concerned about how much women are delving into things that truly are not of God. That may be concerning to me, but when I see Christian women reading books about sexual relationships, attending parties with sex is the focus, and exposing themselves to evil I really grow deeply concerned. The one thing that woman of faith have been known for over the years is standing for what is right, according to His Word. Even though men have fallen prey to porn and affairs, women have, for the most part, stood strong. Over the last few years I see more and more Christian women delving into the same things men have been struggling with. The fact that women flock to a movie about male strippers disgusts me. A few years ago when there were some very popular movies with female strippers that men were flocking to. Women were appalled and marriages were even negatively affected by the men viewing of these movies. So I find it sad that women are now the ones going to such movies and defending their actions. I even recently heard someone claimed, when her husband objected that she wouldn't be happy if it was the other way around, that she wouldn't mind. Wow, not only are women falling prey to exposing themselves to quite frankly sin, they no longer care that their husbands do too. It literally breaks my heart and I don't know what to do about it. I guess I can go back to my verse and bring it to Him in prayer.
There preach over, and if I offended you, good! Maybe you need to examine why you are offended and see if it lines up with God or not.
So, lately God has brought some new friends into my life. I have truly enjoyed getting to know them. It makes me happy to know that He has helped me to get to the point in my life where I am free enough to make new friends. I have also loved having friendships deepen. Once again, it is nice to be at a point where I can open up more so my friendships can deepen.
This past week I spent a lot of time at a conference with one of my friends. I had a good time with her and I think we connected even more than before. It makes me feel happy to see this friendship grow. We have a significant age difference, but that doesn't seem to matter. I have been a Christian since I was nine and she has recently given her heart to God. We honestly don't have too much in common when I really think about it, but that doesn't seem to matter at all.
She asked me to join her book club recently. Honestly, I wasn't sure about it. I love to read, but I don't do much secular reading and I knew this club would be reading secular books. Even though I wasn't sure about it, I went ahead and did it. The first meeting went well, even though I didn't have time to read the book. It was nice hanging out with the group and talking, about the book and other things. Then came the time to pick a new book. Slowly people came up with suggestions and we got on our smart phones to find out about the books.
One of the books is something I would not read, well actually more than one, but I stated that it wasn't something I would read. It is a psychological thriller and I just don't do that genre in reading or viewing. I know that for me spiritually this is not a good choice for me.Unfortunately, that is the book they decided to read.
Well, I won't be reading that book nor any book that I feel is wrong for me or morally wrong. I truly believe that the Scripture that tells us that we are in the world but not of it makes it clear for me what to stay away from. Not to say I am perfect and always make decisions that aren't worldly. I wish that I did always make the right choice, but I am imperfect and that means I will make the wrong choices from time to time. Hopefully less often as I go along.
So I wasn't sure how to deal with this situation. I don't want to come across as judgemental or as a prude, but I have to do what I know is right according to His Word. So I clicked on my verse of the day and it is Philippians 4:6-7. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
I think these verses make it very clear that I need to go to Him in prayer. He promises His peace, that surpasses understanding, and this verse also says that His peace will guard my heart and mind. That is key for me because I feel that exposing my heart and mind to certain things will damage them. That is something I am not willing to do.
Now, for my "preachy" moment. I truly as concerned about the road that I see too many women going down of late. I am truly concerned about how much women are delving into things that truly are not of God. That may be concerning to me, but when I see Christian women reading books about sexual relationships, attending parties with sex is the focus, and exposing themselves to evil I really grow deeply concerned. The one thing that woman of faith have been known for over the years is standing for what is right, according to His Word. Even though men have fallen prey to porn and affairs, women have, for the most part, stood strong. Over the last few years I see more and more Christian women delving into the same things men have been struggling with. The fact that women flock to a movie about male strippers disgusts me. A few years ago when there were some very popular movies with female strippers that men were flocking to. Women were appalled and marriages were even negatively affected by the men viewing of these movies. So I find it sad that women are now the ones going to such movies and defending their actions. I even recently heard someone claimed, when her husband objected that she wouldn't be happy if it was the other way around, that she wouldn't mind. Wow, not only are women falling prey to exposing themselves to quite frankly sin, they no longer care that their husbands do too. It literally breaks my heart and I don't know what to do about it. I guess I can go back to my verse and bring it to Him in prayer.
There preach over, and if I offended you, good! Maybe you need to examine why you are offended and see if it lines up with God or not.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
In 6 Months
In 6 months I will know if a decision made today was worth making or not.
That's it! That's all the details you get for now. Within 6 months I'll either tell you all about it or I will try to forget all about it.
Sorry, to be vague, but maybe I've piqued your interest and you'll definitely check back to find out. :)
That's it! That's all the details you get for now. Within 6 months I'll either tell you all about it or I will try to forget all about it.
Sorry, to be vague, but maybe I've piqued your interest and you'll definitely check back to find out. :)
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Dealing with Emotions is Something I Really Never Want to Do!
This morning I have gone from feeling angry to feeling sad to feeling rejected to feeling angry to feeling useless to feeling sad. And probably a few more emotions packed in there too, and it's only 11 AM!
Oh, and these range of wandering emotions don't even have to do with just one thing. I think if it did it would be easier. It would be easier to identify what was the trigger of all the emotions and leave that in God's hands. But my mind jumps from one thing to another and each jump brings with it its own set of emotions. What are some of these things?
I don't want to be a teacher anymore. I mean I really don't want to be a teacher anymore! This is not just a couple of rough years in a row. I just have no spark left for teaching. I used to love it. I was able to come up with ideas of ways to help my students. I loved the challenge. Now, I still can come up with things, but I definitely don't love the challenge. I feel closed in, like I've been shoved into a box with no way out. I look forward to each weekend as if it is a vacation, and I really don't want Mondays to come. I am tired of each year hearing about what "next year's class" is going to be like. It is never good news. Do I still care for the kids? Yes. I just don't want to do this anymore.
What else? That does seem like enough to be dealing with to me.
I am feeling like some friendships are growing and deepening. That is NOT a bad thing. I am enjoying this. However, other ones seemed to be going through a phase that I have had to endure a few times before. Have you ever had a relationship, or two, or more like this? You invest and invest into the other person and things seem to be going well, and then you have a need. You need a shoulder to cry on or someone to talk something through with. Yet, the other person is too interested in themselves to even acknowledge your need. Unfortunately, I have been there a few times. I can think of a time when a friend and I made all kinds of plans to do together on my birthday. She came over and we started in on our plans and then she announces she is leaving early to go hang out with a group of married friends and their kids. She was married and wanted kids. I was shocked that she would just ditch me like that. That hurt!
Right now I feel God telling me to step out into a few new things and a friend who I expected would be supportive, hasn't been. It hasn't been that she has been discouraging, but rather she has been silent and indifferent. I know I do not need anyone else's approval to do something I feel God is telling me to do, but I can't say that it doesn't hurt to not get it.
Part of the anger that I have been feeling is in regards to people taking what they have for advantage and even treating it as if it is not sacred,which it is. I have to remember that sometimes I take things, even major things, for granted. I also have to remember not to judge other people based on my standards or even my beliefs. I have to remember that God has each of us at different stages in our lives and I can't judge someone because they are in a different one. That one is a hard one, the not judging part!
Well, there are more things, but I think I've bared enough of me for now. I have a lot of trouble doing that, but I knew that blogging would help me to release some of the frustration with the emotions that I have been feeling today, and over the last few days in particular. Last night I felt such a peace come over me when I was deep in the muck of one of these emotions. I know that peace was God. I also know He has called me to share my struggles with my mind, emotions, and steeping out into the changes He has for me. That means sharing here. I hope this relates to someone and helps.
Oh, and these range of wandering emotions don't even have to do with just one thing. I think if it did it would be easier. It would be easier to identify what was the trigger of all the emotions and leave that in God's hands. But my mind jumps from one thing to another and each jump brings with it its own set of emotions. What are some of these things?
I don't want to be a teacher anymore. I mean I really don't want to be a teacher anymore! This is not just a couple of rough years in a row. I just have no spark left for teaching. I used to love it. I was able to come up with ideas of ways to help my students. I loved the challenge. Now, I still can come up with things, but I definitely don't love the challenge. I feel closed in, like I've been shoved into a box with no way out. I look forward to each weekend as if it is a vacation, and I really don't want Mondays to come. I am tired of each year hearing about what "next year's class" is going to be like. It is never good news. Do I still care for the kids? Yes. I just don't want to do this anymore.
What else? That does seem like enough to be dealing with to me.
I am feeling like some friendships are growing and deepening. That is NOT a bad thing. I am enjoying this. However, other ones seemed to be going through a phase that I have had to endure a few times before. Have you ever had a relationship, or two, or more like this? You invest and invest into the other person and things seem to be going well, and then you have a need. You need a shoulder to cry on or someone to talk something through with. Yet, the other person is too interested in themselves to even acknowledge your need. Unfortunately, I have been there a few times. I can think of a time when a friend and I made all kinds of plans to do together on my birthday. She came over and we started in on our plans and then she announces she is leaving early to go hang out with a group of married friends and their kids. She was married and wanted kids. I was shocked that she would just ditch me like that. That hurt!
Right now I feel God telling me to step out into a few new things and a friend who I expected would be supportive, hasn't been. It hasn't been that she has been discouraging, but rather she has been silent and indifferent. I know I do not need anyone else's approval to do something I feel God is telling me to do, but I can't say that it doesn't hurt to not get it.
Part of the anger that I have been feeling is in regards to people taking what they have for advantage and even treating it as if it is not sacred,which it is. I have to remember that sometimes I take things, even major things, for granted. I also have to remember not to judge other people based on my standards or even my beliefs. I have to remember that God has each of us at different stages in our lives and I can't judge someone because they are in a different one. That one is a hard one, the not judging part!
Well, there are more things, but I think I've bared enough of me for now. I have a lot of trouble doing that, but I knew that blogging would help me to release some of the frustration with the emotions that I have been feeling today, and over the last few days in particular. Last night I felt such a peace come over me when I was deep in the muck of one of these emotions. I know that peace was God. I also know He has called me to share my struggles with my mind, emotions, and steeping out into the changes He has for me. That means sharing here. I hope this relates to someone and helps.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Why?
Why can I go days, weeks, even months without feeling the loss of not having the desire of my heart met? Why does it seem to come on suddenly, and unexpectedly? Why does it grip my heart, twist, and leave me in tears?
I know just because I want something doesn't mean I will get it. I am too much of a realist to think just because I want it, it will happen. I'm not talking about not having the faith to believe He can do it. I am talking about knowing that many a man and woman have longed for something, more than anything else, and it never came to pass. Did they not believe that God could do it? I am sure many of them did, but it never happened for them. So I understand that just desring doesn't mean it will happen.
I just want to be okay with it. I want to not feel the deep ache of not having a family of my own. I want to be content with the life that God has for me. Why can't I be?
I know just because I want something doesn't mean I will get it. I am too much of a realist to think just because I want it, it will happen. I'm not talking about not having the faith to believe He can do it. I am talking about knowing that many a man and woman have longed for something, more than anything else, and it never came to pass. Did they not believe that God could do it? I am sure many of them did, but it never happened for them. So I understand that just desring doesn't mean it will happen.
I just want to be okay with it. I want to not feel the deep ache of not having a family of my own. I want to be content with the life that God has for me. Why can't I be?
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
My Favorite Person in the Bible
Her story is brief yet found in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It is a bit longer in the Mark and Luke versions, but I love the Matthew version because of its simplicity.
"And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples. And behold, a woman who suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, for she said to herself, "If I only touch his garment, I will be made well." Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, "Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well." And instantly the woman was made well." Matthew 9:19-22
Why? Because, oh my, there are so many reasons, where do I start. Seriously, I don't know where to start. I love her for so many reasons. I could write and write about her and have even toyed with the idea, a few years ago, about writing a book about her. I still might.
Okay, for this post I am just going to focus on how the fact that she only thought that if she just touched Him she would be made healed. Think about it while people are following Him and calling after Him and begging Him to touch them, she thinks if she just touches Him she'll be made whole. Do you see the difference?
She know He was the One. The only One who could heal her or anyone for that matter. Why does she think this? I can't be totally sure, but I think it is because she believes He is the Messiah, the Son of God. I mean who else but the Son of God could heal her by her touching Him. Wait, not even Him. She knew that just touch His clothing could heal her. That is faith, in my opinion, arguably the best example of complete faith in the whole Bible.
She didn't beg Him. She didn't get in His face so He could see her. She didn't invite Him to come to her, by the way He was on the way to heal someone else's daughter. She didn't need one-on-one time with Him. She didn't seek an audience or schedule a faith heaing session. She demanded nothing of Him. She just knew that she would be healed by touching Him.
This is just one of the many reasons why I love her. That kind of faith is the kind I would like to have!
"And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples. And behold, a woman who suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, for she said to herself, "If I only touch his garment, I will be made well." Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, "Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well." And instantly the woman was made well." Matthew 9:19-22
Why? Because, oh my, there are so many reasons, where do I start. Seriously, I don't know where to start. I love her for so many reasons. I could write and write about her and have even toyed with the idea, a few years ago, about writing a book about her. I still might.
Okay, for this post I am just going to focus on how the fact that she only thought that if she just touched Him she would be made healed. Think about it while people are following Him and calling after Him and begging Him to touch them, she thinks if she just touches Him she'll be made whole. Do you see the difference?
She know He was the One. The only One who could heal her or anyone for that matter. Why does she think this? I can't be totally sure, but I think it is because she believes He is the Messiah, the Son of God. I mean who else but the Son of God could heal her by her touching Him. Wait, not even Him. She knew that just touch His clothing could heal her. That is faith, in my opinion, arguably the best example of complete faith in the whole Bible.
She didn't beg Him. She didn't get in His face so He could see her. She didn't invite Him to come to her, by the way He was on the way to heal someone else's daughter. She didn't need one-on-one time with Him. She didn't seek an audience or schedule a faith heaing session. She demanded nothing of Him. She just knew that she would be healed by touching Him.
This is just one of the many reasons why I love her. That kind of faith is the kind I would like to have!
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