Are you unwell?

Recently I had a friend visit who has been through a rather hard part of life lately, and as I prayed for this person, God reminded me of a verse we heard in Sunday School this week (mind you, in a trivia game, but still it is relevant and was put there for just this reason).

Luke 5:31 "And Jesus answering said unto them, 'They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.'"

Now taken in context, Jesus is talking about salvation, and that He came to save those who need saving, not those who think they're righteous on their own. It's an examply of humility.

I want to look at this verse a little more today. Jesus speaks a proverb about the need for healing. If we are not sick, we have no need to go to the doctor. In the same way, if we have it all under control, we have no need for the LORD, and therefore no need for the rest of His people. Again let me remind you that we are created for community within the Body of Christ, and this is often God's means for bringing about growth and healing.

We so often forget that we need anything. As Christians, we think that in order to be true to our LORD, we need to have everything all taken care of, and that any faulter in this makes us a bad witness. I mean, c'mon, if we are really good stewards of the grace given us, we should have it all together, right?

WRONG!!!

As I think of this particular friend, my own life, and the lives of those I hold dear to me, I see many places that we need the LORD's healing, but often have the wounds concealed. We think that if we make-believe that everything's all right, it will be and we can go about our merry lives.

If you had a friend with cancer, and they were in denial about it, how sad would that be. Would they ever seek medical attention? No. What about someone who could not see very well, but again was in denial? They'd never seek an optometrist for the glasses that might well correct the problem and allow them to see just fine. The friend with cancer would live a miserable existence until death, never seeking the healing that might just come from the medical attention available to them.

In the same way, we see day in and day out people all around us who need emotional and spiritual healing, I venture to say, especially within our church walls, and we're all in denial about it, including the one who's hurting. If we could only learn how much we need healing! We need to seek the only one who can heal us, and to come to Him with the pain of life. Thing's aren't OK, and it's OK, for that to be the case. It won't be OK until we seek healing.

So, I feel as though I've rambled around this point in this post, so please forgive the wordiness, but I feel so strongly about this that I cannot say it enough. I think back to when this blog first started, and how different it's become since then. Praise God!!!

Action points:

1) Recognixe things in your own life that need healing. Did someone close to you recently pass away? Are you battling with a sense of worthlessness? Did you merely survive childhood because of abuse? These are all things that need healing, and Christ offers this healing.

2) Tell someone you trust. If I've learned anything over the past year, I've learned that I cannot simply recognize it when I'm hurting, but I need to share it with others whom I trust and who can be the presence I need to find healing. This does not mean that they'll have the answers, nor should I expect them to. There are times I have had to say to someone "I don't know what to say, and I don't have the answers, but I am here for you." Be OK with receiving this as well as giving it. Don't be afraid of it.

3) When you see someone hurting, and the thought comes about that they should have it all together (you and I both know that thought will occur until we've corrected out thinking), go to them. Speak love and put your arm around them. Let them know that you are there and will listen (again, not that you have the answers. If God gives you something to say, do so, but don't feel as though you have to fix it.). This will mean more than anything to someone who's hurting and doesn't know who to talk to.

4) Reiterating what I've already said in the previous two points: You don't have to have the answers or to fix it. All we have to do is be present, available, a shoulder (or ear if it's over the phone). If we're there, and people know we will listen, they'll be more willing to seek the healing that God gives.

I realize this post is rather sullen, but it's my heart this morning, a heart that longs to see healing for my brothers and sisters, true healing, the healing that comes only from seeking the Physician. Last point, pray for those who need healing. This is important as it envokes God's answer. God will bring about healing, though we may not ever see it or recognize how it looks. He is the Great Physician.