» Healing

Climbing the Mountain

Written by on December 2, 2010 - 1 Comment
“Moving on from there Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, went up on the mountain, and sat down there.  Great crowds came to him, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute, and many others. They placed them at his feet, and he cured them” (Matthew 15:29-30)

Was Jesus being insensitive?  I mean, not only does He climb a mountain in order to teach, but He knows that many of the people following Him are blind, lame, and crippled.  It’s difficult enough to climb a mountain when you’re healthy, let alone when you’re crippled!  What was Jesus thinking?

The gospel scene which recounts Jesus feeding the four thousand is a profound lesson for us with regard to the call to holiness.  You see, Jesus could have remained on a level plain and not made the people follow him up the mountain; but Jesus wanted to teach them–and us–some very important lessons:

1) We should never be content with remaining at the same level in the spiritual life.  Jesus is always inviting us to new heights of holiness.  This is why He ascends the mountain.  He desires to bring to a new level of holiness all those who feel unable to ascend the mountain because of their weaknesses and sin.  We may not be physically blind or crippled, but each of us has areas of spiritual blindness, each of us can be spiritually crippled at times.  Regardless of our faults, Jesus is always inviting us to go deeper (or higher!).

2) It is only by following Jesus up the mountain that we are able to experience true healing.  It’s no coincidence that Jesus first had the people ascend the mountain and then he healed them.  Sometimes in our lives we need to allow the Lord to bring us through extreme spiritual discomfort (a mountain) so we can experience healing.  A perfect example is when we are dealing with an area of spiritual darkness that we have not yet relinquished: unforgiveness in our hearts; a sin that has gone unrepented; a character defect that we refuse to work on.  It is only when we bring this darkness into the light, when we experience the discomfort of being completely transparent and acknowledging our weakness, that we are able to experience God’s healing.  Ascending the mountain is uncomfortable, but it’s precisely in that discomfort that we experience Christ’s healing.

During this Advent season, Christ invites us to new heights of holiness.  Don’t run away from your discomfort; embrace it and ascend the mountain with the Lord.  Then, and only then, will you experience His healing.

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Does Suffering Make You Bitter or Better?

Written by on May 27, 2010 - 6 Comments

Now that the academic year is over, I treated myself to a few extra days off this week.  On Saturday I drove five hours to Vestal, New York to visit my dear friends Scott and Kim King and their five children (pictured above).

I was amazed and overjoyed watching Scott and Kim with their children.  Their love for one another and their kids is so evident.  I told Kim she is my heroine.  She’s supermom: both days she was up for an early morning run, and her energy never waned until she put the kids to bed, all the while staying cheerful.  Scott is such a great father.  He was an able assistant in the kitchen—he makes an exceptionally good gin and tonic—, and he readily obeyed Kim’s orders to get little Sam out of her hair when he was becoming a bit too much to deal with.  Little Sam is very mischievous, but oh-so-adorable!

The Kings have not had it easy.  In December 2006, Macey, their second oldest and only daughter, developed Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of cancer.  Twice she went into remission, and twice she relapsed.  She’s gone through countless rounds of chemotherapy, a number of surgeries, and just more pain than a little girl should have to experience.  Scott and Kim have endured many sleepless nights, hours on the road back and forth to the hospital in Syracuse, and many flights to and from Houston for Macey’s visits to MD Anderson Hospital. Read more »

Wounds Healed by Wounds

Written by on April 11, 2010 - 12 Comments

“For I will restore you to health; of your wounds I will heal you, says the Lord” (Jeremiah 30:17)

Have you ever considered the areas of your life that need healing?  Not so much physical healing–although you may desire it–but spiritual and emotional healing.  I believe we’re all in need of healing.  We all have wounds: wounds from our past, wounds from relationships, self-inflicted wounds caused by bad choices.

These wounds are often the cause of pain in our lives.  For example, maybe you struggle with certain thought patterns such as constant self-loathing.  Maybe there are certain sinful habits that you can’t seem to let go of.  Maybe you continue to end up in dysfunctional relationships.  Yes, we are responsible for all the decisions we make in life; however, sometimes there is an unconscious force–an unhealed wound–that compels us to act or think in certain ways that hurt us and our relationship with the Lord.

Jesus, too, has wounds; but His wounds are different than ours.  After His Resurrection, Jesus appeared to the Apostles even though they had locked the doors where they were hiding.  In this post-Resurrection encounter, Jesus showed them His wounds.  He wanted them to believe that He was really alive.  He showed them His hands and invited them to touch His wounded side.  By gazing upon the wounds of Jesus, by touching His wounds, their own wounds of fear and doubt were healed. Read more »

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