Belonging - Day 6
Mark:5:34
And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”
I bet the relief that she felt was palpable. She was frightened and worried, and in a small short sentence, her fears were laid to rest, and she was healed. Her suffering was alleviated, and she could go back and belong to her family, to her friends, and to her community. She had this issue for years, and all that time, she would have been ostracized from her community. Now, she was invited to return home to be perhaps a mother, a wife, and a sister again. We don’t know her family situation, but this must have been a significant relief!
This is what Jesus did for the people. He was constantly giving them entrance back to the lives that they had lost because of their physical, emotional, or even spiritual ailments. Jesus wasn’t just healing; he was creating belonging where there previously wasn’t. This would have been an incredible grace that each of those he healed received.
And how does Jesus heal you and give you a sense of belonging?
I always work with hospitals as they seek to extend their continuum of care by working with faith communities. And it is always a realization to me that when someone enters into the hospital, they are separated from everything that they love. (I happen to be writing this on the 8200 floor of the Loma Linda University Health as I wait for some test results for my mom). My mom hates being in the hospital. She loves her caregivers, but hates how it takes her away from everyone and everything that she loves.
Every sickness, every malady, every issue that we go through does this. Jesus not only healed the emotional, physical, and spiritual problems, but he also injected belonging into people’s lives so that they might go back to the lives they were supposed to lead. Rather than having to deal with the inconvenient interruptions that we all experience, they were put back into the places they belonged.
This gift that accompanied the healings of Jesus is perhaps more profound in the long run.
Jesus has a way of giving us back our lives.
And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”
I bet the relief that she felt was palpable. She was frightened and worried, and in a small short sentence, her fears were laid to rest, and she was healed. Her suffering was alleviated, and she could go back and belong to her family, to her friends, and to her community. She had this issue for years, and all that time, she would have been ostracized from her community. Now, she was invited to return home to be perhaps a mother, a wife, and a sister again. We don’t know her family situation, but this must have been a significant relief!
This is what Jesus did for the people. He was constantly giving them entrance back to the lives that they had lost because of their physical, emotional, or even spiritual ailments. Jesus wasn’t just healing; he was creating belonging where there previously wasn’t. This would have been an incredible grace that each of those he healed received.
And how does Jesus heal you and give you a sense of belonging?
I always work with hospitals as they seek to extend their continuum of care by working with faith communities. And it is always a realization to me that when someone enters into the hospital, they are separated from everything that they love. (I happen to be writing this on the 8200 floor of the Loma Linda University Health as I wait for some test results for my mom). My mom hates being in the hospital. She loves her caregivers, but hates how it takes her away from everyone and everything that she loves.
Every sickness, every malady, every issue that we go through does this. Jesus not only healed the emotional, physical, and spiritual problems, but he also injected belonging into people’s lives so that they might go back to the lives they were supposed to lead. Rather than having to deal with the inconvenient interruptions that we all experience, they were put back into the places they belonged.
This gift that accompanied the healings of Jesus is perhaps more profound in the long run.
Jesus has a way of giving us back our lives.
- How has Jesus given your life back to you?
- Do you have a story of healing in some respect?
- How can you give healing and belonging to someone else?
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