| |
| |
|
Spirituality Information |
|
|
|
Reach Out and Touch
The essence of the Christian faith is the good news about God. That God is love is the bedrock of our faith. All of the Christian teaching about who we are and about our relationships with God and each other is rooted in the good news that God is love and that He loves His creatures. It is natural I suppose that when we are really hurting, we put up our defenses and perhaps, become a bit rebellious. We feel victimized in some way and want to know "why?" We try all sorts of escape mechanisms only to discover that we feel more and more isolated, lonely and lost. In Mark 5 we read about a woman who must have been sad and hurt for a long time. She had been sick, not for a couple of weeks, not for a couple of months, not even for a couple of years. But she had been suffering with some type of blood disorder for 12 long agonizing years. For over a decade she had experienced physical anguish and emotional pain. Scripture tells us that this woman had spent all her financial resources going to see many doctors. She had taken all the medicines prescribed but was no better. She had utilized her reserved energy, spent all of her emotions, and probably used all of her friends and all other helps to no avail. Her condition only worsens. I can imagine how this woman must have felt. Perhaps you can too. When all the doors close on you; when you do the best you can and nothing seems to jell. This woman was tired. She was tired of being sick, tired of disappointment, tired of being a prisoner of disease, tired of hoping in lost causes, tired of taking one step forward and moving backwards two, sick and tired of being sick and tired. This woman typifies human despair, not only physical but spiritual. For her, the world could offer no healing; she represents all of us who look everywhere for peace of mind and spirit; for hope and comfort, and find none. But one day, probably while wondering what her next move would be; maybe contemplating suicide, maybe thinking about drowning her sorrows in alcohol, she began to think about some reports she had heard about a man named Jesus. She heard about a miracle worker from Galilee who healed the sick, unstopped deafen ears, gave sight to the blind and opened the mouths of the dumb. So she made up her mind to somehow get to Him. I think what is interesting is that this woman did not broadcast her plan. Scripture does not say that she shared what she intended to do with anyone; she did not ask for anybody's opinion. Rather, she said within herself, "If I just touch the hem oh his garment - I KNOW I will be made whole." She believed Jesus cured, she expected healing and she was healed. Immediately she was freed from 12 years of suffering. Jesus has got the power. We know this because when she touched Him, He asked in essence, "Who touched me? I know somebody has touched me because I felt some of my power leave me." What this says to me and what I share with you is that sometimes we have to push an audience with our Lord. We have to push our way through the problems and negativity and piles of petty trash that crowd around us. We have to push our way through and reach out and touch the hem of His garment in faith. Jesus knows when YOU make contact with Him? He knows when we tap into His healing, renewing, restoring power. And He looks around for us to tell us to go in peace, be satisfied, you're whole now, all is well, be healed of what troubles you. Reach out and Touch? Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. http://www.clergyservices4u.org. She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: My Grief Management Workbook, will be available soon.
MORE RESOURCES:
Spirituality - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Small Things When my dad was nearing the end of his life he began searching his heart to see if there was anything left undone - some unconfessed sin, a misdeed, anything at all he needed to make right before he faced God. He constantly prayed that the Holy Spirit would bring to his remembrance anything he needed to make right with his fellowman. Tarot Spreads: The Planetary Spread, for Insights into a Personality The Planetary Spread is an excellent layout to use when you want insight into a personality.You will lay out eleven cards in a circle, and read each card individually. Clear Mind, Empty Head: A Leak In Mind Like Water There's a lot of talk in meditation circles about emptying the mind.This is a roadblock for many people. Who Am I? Who Are you?Have you ever asked yourself the question 'Who am I?'Have you ever asked that question and sat within the silence of your mind and listened for the answer? Waited a few moments and then asked again? ?again? ?again?And then repeated the process again the next day? and the one after that? ?and the one after that?Try it.See what happens. Are You Homeless? Does Your Soul Have a Home? How do you feel when you see homeless people on the street? Many of us feel disgusted when we look at them and others do not even acknowledge their existence as if they're worthless and irrelevant. Some of us even consider them as being nothing but drunks and junkies. Distorted Perceptions Often, in being dishonest about our own faults and failures, we have been far too insensitive and callous toward others who have fallen short. It is really unfair to others becuase all human judgment is partial, one-sided, and superficial. Quick! Throw Me A Line! I was reminiscing with a friend recently about his 'dark night of the soul' that he'd just experienced. During his pain, he turned his back on God. Willing to Walk with Jesus? Can two walk together unless they have agreed to do so? - Amos 3:3 What does it mean to "Walk with Jesus?" One paraphrased version of this verse from Amos says, "How can we walk together with your sins between us?" A. W. What Are You Leaving On The Table Of Life? Our Creator is an infinitely loving and generous provider - and yet most of us have trouble asking for help or for those things that are rightly ours to request. We insist on doing it all alone and then wonder why things go so far downhill so fast. Power of Prayer - The Most Valuable Dialogue of Your Life It's the most powerful weapon on Earth. It can turn the impossible to the possible in a matter of seconds. God Is Waiting To Bless Me In the year 2000, I went on a mission trip to Guatemala with Wycliffe Bible Translators. It was a weeklong trip where we were able to see the results of the Bible translation work in Guatemala. Anamchara - Living The Real Life "Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide No escape from reality."This song goes on to advise, "Open your eyes and see. Affirmations for Emotional Hygiene Last week I talked about the need to practice emotional hygiene, that is -- emptying your head of all toxic emotions such as jealousy, resentment, envy in order to create a kind of "blank slate." You need to clean your conscious mind of these emotions so that you can use the power of your subconscious mind to manifest more positive events in your life. Its Always Divine So I met a friend recently and we went to see the movie Garden State, which I had been anxious to see since its release. Written and directed by a young (29-year-old) New Jersey native, I had read that it was about "coming home" to New Jersey. Loving Kindness - A Meditation The practice of meditating on loving-kindness may be over two thousand years old. Although it may feel a bit mechanical at first, many who have used it experience greater feelings of compassion and love towards both themselves and others. How To Solve Any Problem Contrary to popular beliefs, we are not our mind, our body, and our egos.Also, we are not the circumstances of our lives, nor a creation of the world of matter. The F-Word =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- =-Excerpt From The Relationship Handbook: How to Understand and Improve Every Relationship in Your Life by Kevin B. Burk=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- =-I'd like to invite you to consider a powerful concept. Masculine Energy versus Feminine Energy I have been reading a lot lately about the concepts of masculine and feminine energy. It all sort of goes along with the yin and yang definitions of masculine and feminine. The Hand of God There I was living in a tiny bedroom in my parent's not-so-large, five room apartment. I had, as they say, "run out of options. What Does It Mean To Hear Gods Voice? Excerpt from The Journey That Never Was: a guide to hearing God's Voice regardless of one's faith, religion, or personal beliefs, by DavidPaul and Candace DoyleWhat is Hearing God's Voice?"God's Voice rings True in the world, through every Brother upon the earth."Holy Spirit: "God's Voice is the Gift that God gave to each of His Children as they stepped into the world.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
