Mornings are the time I like to take my walk. It is a time for me to begin my day in conversation with God and myself as I reflect, ponder, and pay attention to what is going on inside of me.
One particular morning, following months of praying a prayer for healing in my heart and desiring the touch of Jesus, I felt a shift. You see, storied within me was a belief system that began years ago in the heart of a 10 year old in fifth grade that there is something wrong with her and if she could only figure it out, then she would be liked. Blindsided by mistreatment of schoolmates began this quest.
In the days and the years that followed, healing happened in small ways but there still lingered a trigger reaction in certain situations. Storied in my body and mind was something that I did not have words for. Certain situations would cause a reaction that was out of reach to talking myself into responding differently. I knew that only God could heal this reaction.
That morning, I felt the roots forming and taking hold that I am okay with being me. I actually even like me, at least a little bit. :) I wrestled with God as my Creator because I was having a hard time accepting me, for it seemed there was a major defect. So to begin to be okay with me was a huge beginning step.
Here I am going to insert a truth - that when we begin to love ourselves in a correct way (it is the second greatest commandment of Gods), then we discover a peace that passes understanding and it affects the way I interact with those around me. We cannot give what we do not possess.
There is a place of what's broken and aching within our hearts can't be truly righted and healed unless the Master Physician touches it. We look to people, things, accolades, promotions, etc to make us feel more whole but the ache remains. Even if the person who hurt us confesses and makes it right, sometimes the pain still lingers. That is the space for Jesus and for us to know Him.
We can help each other see the light and to know a better way, but in the end the deepest and truest healing touch of Jesus is the only thing that can truly satisfy our aches and brokenness. We are to be a companion and to love each other, but there will always remain a space for Jesus and Jesus alone.
In the loneliest of nights, in the deepest caverns and broken fissures of our hearts, and in the driest spaces of the wilderness and desert is the space that Jesus wants to be discovered as our Master Physician. He wants to heal us in ways that only He can and it just may surprise you how satisfying His touch will be.
Jesus told the woman who came to the well for a drink, in the middle of the day and alone, if you knew Who was asking for a drink you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water. She came to the well to satisfy her physical need of water and thirst but she left satisfied in the place that mattered the most - her heart and soul. She also left her waterpot, the very need she had come to fulfill.
Do we forget who Jesus is in our time of need? I recognize that it is easy to slip into a habit of figuring life out and looking to others for our help. Our times of desert places, wilderness moments, darkness, and loneliness is the very place we can choose to look to Jesus for our healing and find a satisfaction beyond our imagination .
The Israelites forgot that over and over, time and time again when they were in the wilderness. They reached a hard spot, were thirsty, hungry and the first thing they did was to complain. They longed for what they had in Egypt at times. They longed for the comfort of food and plenty forgetting the intense persecution they had been experiencing and longing to be delivered from.
We have that same human tendency to forget. If we know who Jesus is, we too, can be satisfied with the Living Water.
What do you do to keep from forgetting who God is for you? How do we really live this out? How do we learn to know Jesus? How do we experience His touch? Are some questions that you may ask. God may seem distant and how do we reach Him?
He says whoever believes Me will be saved, having eternal life. John 6:47, John 20:31, Acts 16:31 are a few verses that tell us of this truth.
Two things catch my attention, one is when Jesus told the woman, "If you knew who was asking you for a drink?" and the other is when she left her waterpot at the well to go and tell others about Jesus and inviting them to come and see Him.
Believing Jesus is a choice. It is quite simple - faith, believing and yet we strive for something more. We can trust Him because He is faithful and never lies. Knowing Jesus comes by reading the Word of God and believing it in the light and the dark times we experience.
If you find yourself in the darkness or in the wilderness, feeling lost and alone, I invite you to reach for the words of truth found in the Bible and claim them. Read them as often as you need to allowing them to penetrate the places that can only be touched and healed by Jesus our Master Physician.
He wants you to know Him. We too, often come with the desire to satisfy our needs in one way and when we encounter Jesus, we walk away satisfied in the place that matters the most - our mind, heart, and soul. We, too can leave behind our 'waterpots', the very need we came to fulfill and find a deeper healing.
No comments:
Post a Comment