Mud in the Eyes Part III Collaboration with the Almighty

Mark's gospel also records the miracle healing of a blind man.  

Whether it is the same man described in John 9 is unclear, but Jesus used a similar method in both instances.

Mark 8  ²² They  came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. ²³ He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”

Don’t you love the question Jesus asks? If it were me, I might have protested, “Lord! You just spit in my eyes! How can I see anything?” I wonder how many times I've objected to the process and the methods of God working in my life. 

Now, think about the hopeful simplicity of his question, prompting us to assess the progress. In this case, a man was coming out of a lifetime of sheer darkness into the light of day, and the gradual progression was undoubtedly essential for him. 

When God's working in me, I might not feel ready to perform or answer questions, but in this story we're getting a clear picture (pun intended) of the conversational and listening God who invites our collaboration. I love that. 

God always starts right where we are. “Do you see ANY THING?” 

I wonder if God wants to ask all of us! What do you see in your world? Do you see your spouse, your children, your neighbors? Where is your focus? Are you only concerned about yourself and your 401k? Don’t miss the Christmas story of Scrooge, who squandered his life in pursuit of wealth, and nearly died alone and in misery. 

So the Lord may want us to wake up and think about this. Do you see anything, the way God sees? 

²⁴ He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”

How did this man know what a tree looked like? No doubt he had felt, stumbled into, or leaned on a tree at some point in his life. He probably sought the shelter of trees in bad weather. 

He never imagined that people with all our moving limbs, resembled slender trees. He had to align his prior learning and personal experience with what was being illuminated before him. 

How do I view people? Do I see people like wooden objects or obstacles in my path? 

God wants us to see everything clearly!  He wants us to see people as He sees them—not their age, color, class, gender, uniform, or status—but as objects of his love, created in his image, and destined to reflect his glory. 

This may require our honest admission of continued need for  another fresh touch of God in our lives. This is the privilege of sonship He bestows. It is the collaboration with the Almighty in the unfolding miracle of restoration. 

²⁵ Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 

The “once more” touch of Jesus proves that even He doesn't do everything fully or completely the first time! I love this reminder of the patient Master at work, the Potter shaping his clay. We are a work in progress and God doesn’t give up on us.  

²⁶ Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.”

Notice, his instructions are very specific afterwards.  We can only guess why this was important for this man, at this time, but it would have been wise for him to obey. I have to believe it was for this man’s benefit and protection that Jesus urged him to go straight home. He may have been mobbed, dragged before the court of Pharisees, or worse, and the Lord knew he couldn’t handle it. (I Cor 10:13, Ex.13:17)

Are you listening to the instructions of the Lord in your life? Our tendency may be to feel annoyed by an interruption to our plans, but what foolishness to disregard the loving guidance of the God who made you. 

Learn to trust and collaborate with Him and you won’t be sorry.  He sees you; He loves you; and He never gives up on you! 

Part II. Of Tendons and Ligaments: LEFT WRIST

Another little issue that appeared this year was my left wrist.

It probably stems from a fall on my bike when my front wheel went down into a little ditch of pine needles and then stopped short at the pavement. The handlebars quickly twisted and I went straight down, scraping my shin on the pedal and tangling my legs into the frame.

As I brushed off and straightened up slowly, I did a quick mental appraisal of the damages, relieved to discover nothing broken, able to bandage up my shin and get back on the bike! 

It was only the next day or two that I became aware of a little aggravated place on my wrist as I was lifting laundry baskets or grocery bags.

I mentioned it at my physical in June and the doc thought it was the tendon, so I started babying it, wearing wristbands, asking prison guards to carry Bibles for me, and sleeping with it elevated.

Over a period of a couple months it seems to have improved a little, but the occasional stabbing pain keeps me wondering what’s going on in there? 

It could be when my hairbrush catches and jerks my hand back a little too quickly. Or, when I’m rushing around to get out the door in the morning and grab the keys and purse in one hand, a water bottle and book bag in the other without thinking. Ouch!

Then there are the times when I’m rolling over in bed and reach out to pull the covers up, or readjust a pillow, forgetting. Eeeek! 

Shouldn’t that be healed by now, Lord? 

Well, here it is a few weeks before Thanksgiving and I finally had my first appointment with a hand specialist at U Mass Medical Center. They took x-rays and even I could tell they looked perfect. Now I have to come back for an ultrasound.

There are plenty of things going on in us that even an x-ray can’t detect.

So, what is it about this that I need to learn, Father? 

Inner healing takes the most time. Knitting bones, rebuilding tendons like the Planters Fasciitis in my foot, are not real fast. I am still walking with a limp at times, especially after housecleaning or carrying grandbabies up a few flights of stairs. I need patience. 

Anyone looking at me as I sip a caramel macchiato in Barnes and Noble right now might not suspect there's anything wrong but God knows, the strain of climbing that mountain in New Hampshire and falling from my bike left their marks in me.

How many wounds and scars do we carry? We all have them. That 3” line on my knee from stitches as a kid, a little “u” on my right index finger where I cut myself skinning a pig leg…  

Every mark brings up a story. A piece of history. What are you carrying? What grabs at you that may still need some attention or forgiveness?

Thank you Father for your good work in me. I trust you for total healing as I continue the journey with you.

Of Tendons and Ligaments: God Directs Every Step!

It is a marvel to realize how God directs and guides our every step! 

I so ENJOY walking with GOD and the zillion ways he shows up with a flurry of glimpses that I'm always trying to gather up like manna from heaven into my heart’s basket to save and savor and write about. To those who love God there is a continual feast. 

Sadly, there are so many ways we miss him and his whispers of love as we skip through our days. We just plain forget... the other day I noticed this again in the shelter. God healed a man for specific requests not once but TWICE of major concerns in the last two weeks and he forgot about it until I came in the next week and asked!

Me: “What about that lump in your chest that the doctors couldn’t resolve?”
He had been so worried and the pains were shooting through to his back, but he kinda shook his head and said, “Oh, that’s all gone!”

Me: “And how about your leg now?” (We had prayed for a bum knee.)

Him:  “Oh! I played basketball for two hours yesterday!”

I stared at him. “You mean, God’s healed you, twice? Wow!”

He was a little taken back. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“God loves you doesn’t He?”

Of course, as soon as that became clear, they all came running and lined up for more prayer. One young man, a new believer said, “I want prayer for all of me! For total spiritual healing!” Isn’t that beautiful? Faith generates more faith.

God is in the business of healing. But of course, it’s totally HIS business. I have a growing faith but know God wants to meet US, not just DO what we want him to.

I've had a little issue too. It seemingly began with a mountain climb in New Hampshire in June. The very next day I noticed a pain on the heal of my left foot. I figured I must have stepped on a pointy stone or bruised it somehow. Off and on for a few months it would be unnoticeable for brief periods, reappearing after heavy lifting or maybe wearing the wrong shoes... ?

I was accustomed to self-diagnoses since we worked remotely in New Guinea, and I kept telling myself, if this isn't better by next week, I'm gonna have it looked at. It never seemed to be serious enough to stop everything and go to the ER. Be patient, I’d tell myself. If tendon or bone related, it just needs time to heal.

Yesterday, I felt it was about time for some answers. I sat at the kitchen table and talked to God. "Lord, you could say the word and heal these issues but there must be a reason for lingering and something you want to do, someone you want to touch. Show me where."

I imagined sitting in the ER all day... Been there, done that as they say! Like the time the doctor wanted to check my heart a few years ago. I was reading Girl Meets God by Lauren Winner at the time, and patients, doctors and nurses thought I was preparing to meet the Almighty! 

It was a divine opportunity to share faith with people for an entire weekend, but it all turned out to be what I call the $2000 burp! My heart was fine, but it was a very costly barrage of tests. 

I headed out with a great book I've been reading, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus... and headed to the nearest walk-in clinic. 

Unfortunately, a little sign by the door said, “Dr. on lunch. Next appt 1:40.” I sat down and pulled out my cellphone to search for something else when the door creaked opened and the doc asked what I needed. Then she smiled and said, "Go to 50 Worcester Rd in Framingham." ... Just the sort of direction I need!

Arriving at the much larger clinic I was surprised to see an empty waiting room, and soon connected with the doctor on duty, a Harvard man no less. To my amazement, he JUST HAPPENS to have been doing industry changing research on exactly the condition I have for the past FIFTEEN YEARS!

He's Jewish and I told him he was an answer to my prayers! We had a wonderful visit and he loved hearing stories about running a clinic with cannibals. Between severed fingers and fish hooks and tree impaled patients, you should have seen his eyes when I mentioned that we only had 6 weeks of medical training and a Merck manual! 

Point is, God led me perfectly to an expert who made an immediate difference in my foot. I estimated a 50% improvement, and I barely even noticed it today! Thank you, God! You are the divine Physician! 

Then last night I attended a Ravi Zacharias ministry event and the speaker referred to the root word for spirituality which actually means to RE-ligament! I'd never even thought about that before. 

When we connect to God it is like attaching the bones in our physical body. True spirituality, connecting to our Creator, strengthens us and holds our lives together, just as reattaching ligaments holds our bones in place.

Thank you Father! You are holding my hand!

You are holding me together!