So this is my first blog post of 2020 and the first one I’ve felt compelled to write since last summer.
A recent Gospel passage stoked the desire to write again. It related a story of people bringing a blind man to Jesus and begging Him to touch him (Mark 8:22-26). As I reflected on the story, several questions surfaced. Why didn’t the man ask Jesus for healing himself? Was he physically unable to ask for help? Or was it something deeper? Was there no light at the end of the tunnel for him? Had he given up hope for healing? Was his suffering so overwhelming that he could no longer find the motivation or desire to seek help for himself?
Those questions don’t seem so unusual to me because I’ve been there. Over the past two years, my struggle with my physical health has directly impacted my spiritual, emotional and mental well-being. Like the blind man in need of healing, I’ve often felt there was no hope left for me. And although I’ve verbally voiced a belief in the promises Jesus makes in Scripture, I’ve lacked the internal confidence to trust Him with my most vulnerable needs. I’ve been a hearer who forgets (James 1:22-24). I understand God’s Word, but I don’t always let it penetrate my heart.
Are you like me or the blind man in Mark’s Gospel story? Is your own healing process moving at a snail’s pace? Is it painful, sad, confusing or scary? Do you feel like there’s no hope left for you?
We’re coming up on the season of Lent, a season of mercy and repentance, but one that can seem to last forever (40 days of giving something up can seem like a lifetime). Lent can seem painful, sad, scary and confusing as we march towards Jesus’ torture and death.
But we need to remember that there is light at the end of the tunnel, and there is hope at the end of Lent. Jesus’ resurrection, bringing us healing…from death to new life, promises that light and that hope.
I’ve recently undergone new treatment and therapy to help alleviate the partial facial paralysis left over from my bout of Bell’s Palsy, and for the first time in a very long time, I’m starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. And although it’s still painful and sad and confusing and scary, my hope has been restored.
If you’re suffering today, take a moment to look for the light. Let Jesus take you by the hand and ignite that tiny spark of hope in your heart. It might take patience and work, but He will relieve your suffering. He promises.
Peace,
Deborah Gretzinger (No R.E. Gretz)
A recent Gospel passage stoked the desire to write again. It related a story of people bringing a blind man to Jesus and begging Him to touch him (Mark 8:22-26). As I reflected on the story, several questions surfaced. Why didn’t the man ask Jesus for healing himself? Was he physically unable to ask for help? Or was it something deeper? Was there no light at the end of the tunnel for him? Had he given up hope for healing? Was his suffering so overwhelming that he could no longer find the motivation or desire to seek help for himself?
Those questions don’t seem so unusual to me because I’ve been there. Over the past two years, my struggle with my physical health has directly impacted my spiritual, emotional and mental well-being. Like the blind man in need of healing, I’ve often felt there was no hope left for me. And although I’ve verbally voiced a belief in the promises Jesus makes in Scripture, I’ve lacked the internal confidence to trust Him with my most vulnerable needs. I’ve been a hearer who forgets (James 1:22-24). I understand God’s Word, but I don’t always let it penetrate my heart.
Are you like me or the blind man in Mark’s Gospel story? Is your own healing process moving at a snail’s pace? Is it painful, sad, confusing or scary? Do you feel like there’s no hope left for you?
We’re coming up on the season of Lent, a season of mercy and repentance, but one that can seem to last forever (40 days of giving something up can seem like a lifetime). Lent can seem painful, sad, scary and confusing as we march towards Jesus’ torture and death.
But we need to remember that there is light at the end of the tunnel, and there is hope at the end of Lent. Jesus’ resurrection, bringing us healing…from death to new life, promises that light and that hope.
I’ve recently undergone new treatment and therapy to help alleviate the partial facial paralysis left over from my bout of Bell’s Palsy, and for the first time in a very long time, I’m starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. And although it’s still painful and sad and confusing and scary, my hope has been restored.
If you’re suffering today, take a moment to look for the light. Let Jesus take you by the hand and ignite that tiny spark of hope in your heart. It might take patience and work, but He will relieve your suffering. He promises.
Peace,
Deborah Gretzinger (No R.E. Gretz)
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