Since we have undertaken to lead our Children's ministry through a year-long reading of the New Testament (see the Jan. 7 entry), I've been struck by something I'm not sure I've ever really paid attention to before. We are currently reading through the Gospel of Mark, having completed Matthew. As I read of Jesus' dealings with people, His teachings, His miracles & signs, I'm fascinated by how He brings healing to people. It seems like He never healed two people exactly the same way, even if it was the same issue/ailment. One blind man, He would simply say, "Be healed!", and the man's eyes would be opened. Another, He might spit on some dirt, rub it on the guy's eyes, and tell him to go wash. Still another, He would spit right in the eyes, and heal him on the spot. He drove out demons differently, some very confrontational and face-to-face, others from a great distance, one even without directly addressing the demons. He commanded, they fled. He healed lepers by putting His hands right on them, He healed the mute by touching their tongue, healed the deaf by poking His fingers in their ears, and even healed some who just touched His clothes. Never the same way twice.
He was so personal with each circumstance, often so private. Sometimes He would even instruct them not to tell anyone, which usually didn't work! But each case was very personal, very intimate, very specific to the individual. I love this. Jesus Christ, King of all kings and Lord of all lords, God Almighty from age to age, walked the dust of earth among us. Not as some unapproachable holy man or mystic, but as "God with us", Divinity up close and personal, the Creator in clothes. And He touched. He spoke. He healed.
I love how He loved people. How He treated women. How He raised the dead, healed the sick and broken, restored health, hope, life. I think that was His real motivation. Physical healing was important, but Jesus saw deeper, to what each person really needed, and He healed there too.
May I see others as Jesus saw them, may I touch as He touched, may I love as He loved, may I be an instrument of His healing, in this lost, hurting, dying world.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
Its been about a month now since my father's emergency heart surgery, and he has recovered remarkably. Off all pain medication, and mostly back to normal (he still has to be careful not to lift too much). We all are very happy with his progress. I look forward to some spring/summer/fall riding with him this year.
I'm also very proud of something he has recently accomplished, that he has never been known for. He wrote down an account of all he experienced during those days surrounding his surgery, things he thought and felt, words and Scripture God brought to him in the midst of the pain and uncertainty. My dad has never been much of a reader, much less a writer- I get those traits from my mother, a prolific reader and writer. But write he did, and below are some excerpts from his story, entitled "Out Of Control".
"Being a typical man I've always felt I was, or should always be, in control of my life, and what I did would determine how things would go for me. Most men feel that they are in control, and when things get out of control it’s a very disturbing feeling. So it was with me several months ago when I noticed increasing bouts of chest pain." Dad recounts the recurring problems, even though he had a heart stint installed three years prior. Thinking he could control it, he chose to wait until after the holidays to get checked out, writing, "Still thinking I was in control, this could have been a deadly mistake on my part."
He writes of being admitted, the emergency surgery being scheduled, and the feeling that everything was out of his hands- he no longer was in control. As my brothers and I rushed from all over to Augusta and be with our mother during the surgery, Dad recalls this- "I was handed a clipboard with paperwork for me to sign, giving them permission to operate. It was at this point things for me were 'Out Of Control'. I had signed my name and now had no control over what would happen to me." He recalled a verse from the Bible, Hebrews 13:5, which reads, "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you." Dad writes, "I know now that in moments of great stress, though we may not be thinking of God, He is always thinking of us."
As previously written, the surgery went great, and though there have been pains, feelings of helplessness, exhaustion, Dad writes, "Reflecting back on all of this, my first question might be 'Where was God in all this?' I believe I know. When I was waiting too long to get help for my heart, He was holding back a heart attack, keeping my heart safe for surgery." He recites part of Philippians 4:7, "and the peace of God...will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." God was in total control, the whole time.
Dad concludes by stating, "I will not be in control anymore, I’m not very good at it. It could have cost me my life. I will leave control to God now and do my best to trust Him daily for direction."
"I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or His descendants begging for bread."(Psalm 37:25)
Final footnote- the day my father had his heart surgery, my niece Rylee, Rick's daughter, prayed and gave her life to Christ back home in Dallas with Robyn her mother. Dad finishes with this-
"He gave two people new hearts on Jan. 11, 2012. Mine as He rebuilt my heart physically, and spiritually as my granddaughter Rylee prayed with her mom to receive Christ in her heart that same day. God is good, God is faithful."
Yes He is.
I'm also very proud of something he has recently accomplished, that he has never been known for. He wrote down an account of all he experienced during those days surrounding his surgery, things he thought and felt, words and Scripture God brought to him in the midst of the pain and uncertainty. My dad has never been much of a reader, much less a writer- I get those traits from my mother, a prolific reader and writer. But write he did, and below are some excerpts from his story, entitled "Out Of Control".
"Being a typical man I've always felt I was, or should always be, in control of my life, and what I did would determine how things would go for me. Most men feel that they are in control, and when things get out of control it’s a very disturbing feeling. So it was with me several months ago when I noticed increasing bouts of chest pain." Dad recounts the recurring problems, even though he had a heart stint installed three years prior. Thinking he could control it, he chose to wait until after the holidays to get checked out, writing, "Still thinking I was in control, this could have been a deadly mistake on my part."
He writes of being admitted, the emergency surgery being scheduled, and the feeling that everything was out of his hands- he no longer was in control. As my brothers and I rushed from all over to Augusta and be with our mother during the surgery, Dad recalls this- "I was handed a clipboard with paperwork for me to sign, giving them permission to operate. It was at this point things for me were 'Out Of Control'. I had signed my name and now had no control over what would happen to me." He recalled a verse from the Bible, Hebrews 13:5, which reads, "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you." Dad writes, "I know now that in moments of great stress, though we may not be thinking of God, He is always thinking of us."
As previously written, the surgery went great, and though there have been pains, feelings of helplessness, exhaustion, Dad writes, "Reflecting back on all of this, my first question might be 'Where was God in all this?' I believe I know. When I was waiting too long to get help for my heart, He was holding back a heart attack, keeping my heart safe for surgery." He recites part of Philippians 4:7, "and the peace of God...will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." God was in total control, the whole time.
Dad concludes by stating, "I will not be in control anymore, I’m not very good at it. It could have cost me my life. I will leave control to God now and do my best to trust Him daily for direction."
"I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or His descendants begging for bread."(Psalm 37:25)
Final footnote- the day my father had his heart surgery, my niece Rylee, Rick's daughter, prayed and gave her life to Christ back home in Dallas with Robyn her mother. Dad finishes with this-
"He gave two people new hearts on Jan. 11, 2012. Mine as He rebuilt my heart physically, and spiritually as my granddaughter Rylee prayed with her mom to receive Christ in her heart that same day. God is good, God is faithful."
Yes He is.
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