Read: Matthew 20:29-34; Mark 1:40-44; Matthew 14:14; 2 Corinthians 12:8-10
This week, a friend was telling us about her brother and how challenging his life is due to a disabling condition. Many struggles are a part of his days. My heart went out to him. I am going to refer to him as Michael though that isn't his name. He has come to mind more than once in these past few days. I'll never meet this man; yet, in some small way, I think I can relate to a bit of how he feels. Especially since as it is the case right now for him, there were many years that I didn't know Jesus' love for me and his tenderness toward those who like me and Michael have a physical challenge. With that in mind, here is the letter I would have liked to have received back then and the one I would like to send to Michael.
Dear Michael,
Your sister who loves you shared a bit about a few of the struggles you face as a part of your every-day life. She wasn't being critical or condescending. Like you, I have a disability. It is wholly different than yours just as the way it has affected my life is no doubt not the same as how your struggles have affected you. Even so, may I tell you a few things about God and how the truth about Him has and is continuing to change me? If so, here we go.
Back when Jesus lived here on earth, people frequently looked at those who had disabilities of any kind with the thought that they were to blame. One time, Jesus' friends saw a blind man and asked Jesus whose fault this man's blindness was. His or his parents. Someone surely had sinned and blindness, they figured, was the result of that sin. I love Jesus' answer. Neither. The spotlight was going to shine on Who God was through this man's life. Imagine that, Michael. God was going to use this unnamed man to show people what He was like. In this case John chapter 9 tells us that Jesus miraculously healed him. Someone who had previously seen nothing. Not even light!
Some people believe even today, that the disabilities that we have, whether they were present at birth or came from accidents are a sign of God's contempt or disfavor. Jesus' words strike that argument down! Another time when Jesus was living and walking with us, there was a man who had leprosy who came to Him desiring to be healed. That wasn't an acceptable thing in those days. Lepers were supposed to stay far away from those who were healthy. That must have been a lonely way to live. In Jesus' friend Mark's account of that story, the sick man told Jesus that he knew that the Lord could heal him if it were His will to do so. Jesus then did something amazing. He touched that man and said that He was willing. The why of the story is as sweet as the miracle. Mark says that Jesus was filled with compassion for the man. I love that. The compassion that Jesus has for this one whom many in that day looked at with contempt and fear.
Michael, God has that compassion for all. He reached out to that one man just as He desires to reach out to us. Whole and disabled. He does not stand aloof. He wants to be close. More about that later after I share one more incident from Jesus' life here.
One day, there was a large noisy crowd following Jesus. In that mass of people, there were two men who were blind. They longed to be healed; so, they shouted to try to get the Master's attention. The crowd could have cared less about their need. We know this because they told the men to be quiet. Ready for another amazing thing we see here about God? He stopped. The One Who had created the world stood still and asked them what they wanted. Not only stopping for them but caring about their needs.
Isn't that what we all need, Michael. To know that there is Someone Who loves us and that this One is also listening and caring about what concerns us. Often, the world might seem not to understand or care. Like the crowd, people can be apathetic, but Jesus shows us that God does is not like that. And He has this same compassion and attentiveness for everyone. Whether struggling with a disability or simply trying to live out the challenges of the every-day, Matthew 14:14 tells us that.
Michael, perhaps you are thinking that Jesus healed back then but how does He work right now. What kind of a relationship would He have with someone who has my particular deficits and struggles? That question can be answered by Paul who wrote a great deal of the New Testament. Paul is a reminder that though God receives glory when someone is miraculously healed, He is also honored through the lives of those He chooses not to heal. In Paul's letter that he wrote to some people from Corinth, the apostle told us that he suffered with a very difficult condition. We don't know what it was. Paul didn't tell us. I sure can relate to Paul in that he asked the Lord to heal him. He called out fervently with that in mind; however, the Lord said no. Why? Not because Jesus lacked compassion. Because in Paul's case, Jesus would be seen more through Paul's difficulties than He would have through his healing.
Sometimes, the world has no place for people who are weak or challenged. How different God is. In fact, He frequently uses those who deal with all kinds of struggles. That is, if we run to Him to receive His strength and His help. Here's an amazing thing, Michael. Jesus actually wants to make Himself known in and through us. Instead of saying that we aren't qualified, no matter who we are, the Lord wants to indwell us and says that when we give our lives to Him to run, we are then His temples. It is hard to imagine that God actually wants to live through us, but it is true. Michael, just one more thing. Did that remind you of that old detective show Columbo?
If you want to know more about Jesus, you can simply ask Him to introduce Himself to you. That's a prayer your sister, me and Jesus would love to know you have prayed.
Praying for you,
Patty
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