Tidbits for Thought

HEALING

John 5: 6-7 “Jesus asked him, ‘Do you want to be well?’ The sick

man answered, ‘Sir, there is no one to help me get into the pool

when the waters start moving. When I am coming to the water

someone always gets in before me.’ Then Jesus said, ‘Take up

your mat and walk.’ And immediately the man was well. He

took up his mat and began to walk.”

It is not too hard to imagine some of the reactions to this man and

his fellow sufferers hanging around the pool of Bethesda. Some

might toss a small coin his way out of a fleeting feeling of guilt

or compassion. We see others who, in all likelihood, thought he

deserved to be where he was because of sloth or sin. Others

might have had a brief and probably accidental eye contact

before hurrying away. Many would make a wide detour around

this bit of suffering humanity. But most would simply ignore

him, not even acknowledging his existence………. doesn’t this

sound familiar?

In our world today there are people who desperately ache for the

healing and comfort that God offers and yet they are shunned and

ignored by the vast majority of uncaring and oblivious people.

Some exist in the streets and alleys of physical poverty while

others live in well to do homes carpeted and painted by spiritual

poverty. Some become resigned to their situation and all but give

up, others strike back at the society that they feel has let them

down. Yet others question and search but find no answers and

still others look for validation in drugs, alcohol, or alternative

lifestyles. Many of these lost souls would give anything they own

for the simple acknowledgement that they too exist. However, in

many cases, they are pushed aside by the cynical and judgmental

attitude of many people, including many who call themselves

Christian. They are stymied by invisible walls of tradition,

religious bigotry, man-made rules of religiosity and hypocrisy.

They are overwhelmed by minefields of disdain and indifference.

Jesus walked among these same people over two thousand years

ago and met them right where they were. Wherever He walked,

lives were changed by His touch….lives were changed by His

healing….. lives were changed by His compassion and love….

lives were changed because He cared…. lives were changed

because He listened…lives were changed because He ignored the

spurious laws and weighty traditions of the religious elite of the

time. He was motivated to reach out to others, in His Fathers

name, at all times and in all places.

You and I might not be able to physically heal another individual

or alleviate all of their suffering. What we do have is the power

of the Holy Spirit within us that enables us to reach out, as Jesus

did, to touch another with heartfelt compassion and love. We

have His power within us to help us minister to others with care

and concern. With the assistance of the Spirit and a large dose of

faith and determination we can make a huge difference in a

suffering and uncaring world. Think about it!         ~ Aron Smith