Kissed by the Spirit

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5 (NIV)

I was watching the news one day, which was pretty dark, more of the usual violence, sorrow and injustice, both locally and globally. As I was talking to God, I asked, “Lord, what do you have to say about all the sadness in this world?”

Later that day, I think I received His answer. It was in 2023, and I was visiting the Nursing home shortly after my son’s motorcycle accident. Jon was a new resident, and due to his traumatic brain injury, wasn’t yet walking or eating on his own, as he does today. He was sitting in a chair with other residents in the community room, and while visiting, I observed a young woman who entered the room and walked around greeting all the residents, calling each one by name. 

She was like a light shining in the darkness, greeting some residents with a hug and giving attention to those who have no visitors. Some residents in wheelchairs reached out to hug her as soon as she walked in. At first I thought she was a therapist, or a ministry person or an employee on staff. 

To my surprise, she was none of the above. Monica introduced herself to me and my son as another visitor, whose mother is a resident there. As I spoke with her, she pointed out her mother, sitting across the room, who was admitted after having a stroke. During Monica’s weekly visits to her mother, she made a point of greeting the other residents, calling them all by name. She told me how it broke her heart to learn that so many residents have no one to visit them. 

Watching all the people light up when Monica greeted them, it was apparent that she was a gift of light to their lonely existence. For those residents, the simplest and greatest joy in life is to have human touch, to be known by name and to be heard, regardless of their mental status. Even those who suffer from brain injury, like Jon, and live in an altered mental state, can still find joy in their current condition. 

That morning I asked God what He has to say about all the sadness in the world, and He answered me later that same day by showing me Monica. It was as if He was telling me that He has many other people in the world just like Monica. She is not the only one who is shining His light in someone else’s darkness. God is still doing miracles today, through small, simple blessings that make a difference, but rarely make the headline news.

Small and simple is how God usually works these days. He doesn’t part seas every day, or routinely rain bread from heaven, as He did for His people thousands of years ago. He chose to reveal Himself to us in a small and simple way, through a newborn baby, born to an unknown poor, humble couple. He showed the world how much He loved us, by becoming one of us. 

Our society is filled with news reports of trouble and bad news but God is still shining His light through small and simple things. He does it today through people who bless the meek, the poor in spirit, and those who suffer, mourn or are lonely. 

Monica’s mother passed away a few months after that, and Monica hasn’t returned to the Nursing home since. I hope I can pick up where Monica left off, and make a small, simple difference for the few residents I’ve come to know. 

I thank all the people who are shining a light in dark places, wherever they do it. It is through our small, simple acts of kindness, that the light we shine for Jesus, will never be overcome by the darkness.

Lord, your light is much greater than the darkness, so help us to do small, simple things, that will shine your light through us, and make a difference.
Amen

“The Spirit said to Philip, “Go and join up with that chariot.”

Acts 8:29 (NAB)

The book of Acts is filled with the adventures of first century believers as the Holy Spirit led them to do amazing things. The Spirit tends to give people directions, as He did with Philip, by saying ‘Go!’ 

The Lord may not speak audibly, but He does give us a sudden urge or a gut feeling to ‘Go’ somewhere or ‘Do’ something. If anyone has ever felt a an urge or a gut feeling to do what later proved to be the absolute right thing to do, it was the work of the Spirit.

I heard a true story like this, about a man who did something he never did before, and since he was willing to act on his ‘gut feeling,’ many lives were saved.

An Israeli tour guide named Elan, was working with his uncle in an area of the old city in Jerusalem where many people gathered daily to sit, talk and have their lunch breaks. While Elan was eating lunch, a large trash can was nearby to where he was sitting. He noticed a brown bag lying on the top of the pile of trash.

For no apparent reason he couldn’t stop staring at that particular bag. Then he had a strange gut feeling to go and look inside the bag. He finally got up and looked inside, and saw a watch with wires attached, which was ticking. Elan called the police, a bomb squad arrived quickly and a bomb in that bag was quickly disarmed. 

Elan sat at that same corner every day but never before had an urge to take a bag out of the trash and look inside of it. He had no logical reason for doing it, but thankfully, he acted on his gut feeling and many lives were spared that day.

I know a person who had a similar experience like this, which I once shared in a previous meditation. He was a young man who offered to drive a young lady home from a weekly youth group meeting at their church. He dropped her off at her Chicago apartment, watching her safely enter the front hallway of the building. As he drove away, he felt a strong urge to “Go back!”

He followed his gut feeling and drove back to her apartment building. He walked into the front hallway and found a man, holding the girl while she struggled. The attacker let go of her and fled out the front door. Thank God he followed his urge to go back. 

The strangest moment that I can remember in response to a gut feeling, was a day at a part time job I had during my college days. It wasn’t about saving a life or being in any danger. I worked part time at a department store after college classes, and there was a young man who worked in the janitorial department of the store. 

One day we were in the employee lounge during our break. After some small talk, I felt an urge to pray for him. I asked Riszard if I could pray for him and then asked him to repeat after me, “Jesus, come into my heart and take charge of my life.” He was very kind and compliant and prayed that prayer with me. I have no idea why I felt led to pray with him that day. I eventually quit that job, so I never saw Riszard again. 

Thinking about it today, it’s a bit strange to ask a coworker who is a total stranger to let me pray with them. I only know that I acted on a gut feeling in that moment, so I hope God did some great things in Riszard’s life. Time passes and years go by, but certain moments can impact a life forever.

The Spirit sometimes leads us through our gut feelings, causing us to say or do something we’ve never done before, even without a logical explanation. A person may or may not know in the moment that the Spirit is leading them, but God often works through people, whether they realize it or not. 

Lord, help us to be tuned in to your Spirit, who is always speaking to us throughout the day, and every day  of our lives. May we always hear and act on the gut feeling that you place within us. Amen 

“As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”

Matthew 24:37-39 (NIV)

Noah’s ark is usually viewed as a children’s story, taught through a multitude of children’s books filled with colorful illustrations of animals entering the ark in pairs. Most adults don’t think of Noah’s ark as a historic event, but I learned some interesting facts after watching a documentary from the perspective of Christian geologists and paleontologists.

The Grand Canyon contains information that spans over millions of years, but within the layers of sediment, there is a mystery that only a scientist would recognize. 

The layers of rock are divided into Precambrian and Cambrian layers.  

All Geologists and Paleontologists, who study these limestone rock layers, identify each layer of limestone as correlating to a time period. The Precambrian layers show life steadily existing over millions of years, but a Cambrian layer contains a mystery. 

There is a gap in a Cambrian layer that was caused by some type of  catastrophe of a global magnitude. Then, in the layer after the gap, many animal fossils suddenly appear fully formed, as if they were dropped onto the earth all at once. It’s a mystery to scientists but it fits the biblical account of animals that suddenly disembarked from the ark, back onto dry land.

That same gap, followed by a similar animal fossil layer, appears in the  limestone layers across the world, not just in the Grand Canyon.

Scientists named that mystery layer as, “The Great unconformity.”

Christian paleontologists and geologists share the opinion that the Great unconformity is a result of the global flood of Noah. 

Jesus talked about the days of Noah and the great flood, as if it was a known historical event, not a fictional story. He compared the days of Noah to the days before His return, predicting the same mindset among people, as in the days of Noah. 

This is not meant to scare us since the words, ‘Fear not’ or ‘Do not fear’, are mentioned in scripture over 300 times. Jesus said that those who believe, without seeing, are blessed. We are blessed because we don’t require science to prove what we already believe, but it is nice to know when science and scripture validate each other. The second coming of Jesus and the story of Noah’s ark are similar, in that both have happy endings for anyone who believes. 

Lord, thank you for how your word is occasionally validated by science. Help us to always live by faith, and to believe even when we don’t see. Amen

“I thank my God every time I remember you.”

Philippians 1:3 (NIV)

The words in this simple scripture can be said about many friends or loved ones, who have impacted our lives at some time, in a special way, whether they are still living or not. 

Today, I am remembering my friend Michelle, who left this world way too soon. We worked together for twelve years and became friends. She was young enough to be my daughter, but we still had good times together. She went with me to pick up the dog I adopted back in 2020. Ever since then, she called herself his godmother, visiting him and asking, “How’s my goddog?” We had so many laughs over the years. 

She was a talented craftsperson and her handiwork is in every corner of my home, from the bedazzled glass case where I keep my reading glasses, to the holiday wreaths I hang on my front door, and the  earrings in my jewelry box. Wherever I look, I see signs of Michelle’s work, which reminds me of our friendship over the years. Anyone who knew Michelle,  knew that besides crafts, she also loved babies, children and animals. 

I’ll never forget a true story that Michelle once shared with me, as it stands out above all else. She was at a gas station one day, pumping gas in her car, when she noticed a man choking in the car next to her. She rushed to take action, bringing him out of his car and doing the Heimlich maneuver on him, which saved his life. Naturally, the man was grateful and Michelle was very humble about saving his life, but I never forgot that story.

Sadly, Michelle couldn’t save herself, one day in 2023, when she was unable to breathe due to a blood clot in her lung. As she had trouble breathing, she called her sister, who quickly drove over to take her to the nearest hospital emergency room, but it was too late, because Michelle collapsed walking out of her front door. 

Paramedics tried to resuscitate her, but she passed away. She was only 44, and it’s heart breaking to lose a friend who was so young, creative, kind and generous. I still miss her, knowing she had so much to live for. 

The man she saved at that gas station, may never know about her fate, but he’s probably still sharing the story of how a woman, who was a total stranger, saved his life one day, when he was choking. 

I believe that angels surround us each day, and they may spare us without us ever knowing, from impending danger and accidents, through their divine intervention. In some instances, the angels that God sends are regular people, who are at the right place at the right time, responding to a need, and doing what it takes to save a life. Michelle was someone’s angel that day, as God used her in the miracle of saving a stranger’s life.  

Maybe we are all meant to be somebody’s angel. We may not save a life physically, but we can still be  there for someone at the right time. 

Lord, we open our hearts to be available as needed, to make the world a better place by becoming somebody’s angel. Amen

“Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Matthew 19:26 (NIV)

Yesterday I spent the day with a high school friend who moved to Israel forty years ago. We usually get together at least once whenever he comes in for a visit.

Larry is my age and we both lived on the same city block in Chicago, and attended the same schools growing up. We later lost contact with each other until one of our high school reunions a few years ago. I can still remember his tragic accident, when he was seven years old and hit by a car right on our residential side street. He sustained a traumatic brain injury, was hospitalized, and eventually recovered enough to return to school. 

His right eye turns outward ever since the accident, but he can see. Both his hands tremor, but over all, he recovered enough cognitively, to finish school all the way through to the college level. He has learned to use the steadier hand to hold the other hand, as he manages to eat and sign his name, but can no longer drive.

He shared a story with me from his childhood years, regarding how hard it was to adjust returning to school after his brain injury. Four years after his accident, we were in the same 6th grade class together with a teacher named Mrs. Snow. One day Larry became very frustrated and couldn’t complete his work due to his hand tremor, which made it hard to write. He started crying and said out loud, “I can’t do it!” Mrs. Snow firmly said “Don’t say I can’t, say I can and I will!”

At first that sounded harsh and incompassionate, but today Larry credits Mrs. Snow as the person who set him in the right direction to adapt and adjust to a new way of living, and he stopped feeling sorry for himself ever since that. He told me he never says the phrase, “I can’t.” Larry went on to graduate from high school, finished college and got a driver’s license. He even once took flying lessons and learned to fly a plane. I never knew how much Mrs. Snow had positively influenced him. 

When he came to the US for a visit back in 2009, he searched for Mrs. Snow to tell her how much she had helped him. He found a phone number, and spoke to her daughter in law, who told Larry that Mrs. Snow now lives in a Nursing home but still has perfect function, mentally. 

Larry got in touch with Mrs. Snow by phone and she remembered him as if it were 1963 when she taught our class. They talked about those days when Larry struggled with his injury related deficits, and he thanked her for never letting him sulk in self pity. He told her how she changed his life perspective for the best. Mrs. Snow was ‘105’ years old when they spoke that day, but passed away soon afterward.

All things are possible with God, including our restoration to spiritual and psychological wholeness, by adjusting to any new phase in our life. God doesn’t want us to get stuck in self pity, but to move forward and say to ourselves, “I can and I will.”That was the same spirit reflected by a strong inspiring, lady and departed grade school teacher, Mrs. Snow.

Lord, help all of us who are in a transition stage of life to adjust and move forward saying “I can and I will, in Jesus name.” Amen 

“But the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

Matthew 25:13 (NIV)

‘Standing firm’, are the words of Jesus. It’s His expression for staying steadfast in the faith, to spiritually withstand the many challenges of life. 

Standing firm is physically and literally challenging when standing on a floor full of oil and broken glass. That’s what happened to me recently, when I reached into a kitchen cabinet for a glass bottle of avocado oil, which slipped out of my hand, hit the counter and then crashed onto my kitchen floor. 

I found myself standing barefoot in a pool of avocado oil and shattered pieces of glass. I first prayed that I would not get injured, as my feet were sliding on the oil. It took all my strength to stand firm, without getting cut, while cleaning up oil and broken glass. 

After an hour it was cleaned up, but two days later I still found pieces of glass on the counter and in the far corners of the floor. It was an unforgettable mess.

One word that describes the whole experience is ‘vulnerability.’ I felt very vulnerable with the possibility of slipping, falling or getting cut, but I’m thankful I didn’t get injured. After such a crazy experience, I wondered what I was supposed to learn from it, besides starting each day by asking for God’s protection. 

Somehow, the scripture above fit the theme, where Jesus told us to stand firm in the 25th chapter of Matthew’s gospel, which is all about standing firm to ‘the end’, referring to being prepared for the day of judgement. Jesus talked about the ten virgins carrying lamps, while only five were prepared by having oil in them. 

Then He told the story of servants who each invested their talents while their master was away. Jesus spoke of His own return one day, with His angels, to sit on a throne and judge the living and the dead. He said so much on the topic that Matthew devoted an entire chapter of his gospel to preparing and standing firm for that day. 

To summarize the message of Jesus, He reminds us to keep oil in our lamps, use the talents that He gave us, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit those who are sick or in prison. His message is a basic one, to use our time, talents and treasures in ways that show His love, for our eternal good and for others.

After Jesus ascended to heaven, the  early church was persecuted by the Roman Empire for the first 250 years. When they finally were free to openly worship, new problems arose due to heresies and false teachings, casting doubts on doctrines like the deity and incarnation of Christ. The church had to clarify the truth from lies, and stand firm in teaching the Christian faith.

Jesus never promised that the Christian life would be an easy,  carefree lifestyle. He said that in the world there is always trouble, but He has overcome the world. Doubt, fears and worry often makes us feel vulnerable, like we are standing in a pool of oil and broken glass. I feel more vulnerable these days, since my health is not as good as it once was, living alone, and have adult sons who both need help in some way, but I trust what Jesus said about standing firm. If we ask and pray, God will hear and help us.

After finding tiny pieces of broken glass in my kitchen for some days afterward, it reminds me that we need to check the corners of our heart and our attitude from time to time, to see what needs to be cleaned out. 

God sees all that is within us and He is faithful to forgive and cleanse us from any sin. He also comforts us in our fear and anxiety. As we place our full trust and confidence in Jesus, we will stand firm and live in His peace.

Lord, help us in any ways that we feel vulnerable today and strengthen us to stand firm in your truth. Amen 

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV)

I arrived at the Nursing home one day last week and after greeting the residents in the day room, I noticed that Jon wasn’t in there. So I went to his room to tell him that I was here. Whenever I do that, he usually smiles and comes out to sit with me and the residents. 

I looked in his room but he wasn’t there so I went to his nurse to ask where he was. His nurse casually said, “I think he’s in his bathroom brushing his teeth.” I was stunned and asked her, “Jon brushes his own teeth???” She said yes and invited me to come and see.  

We both walked to his room and as we opened his bathroom door a bit, our two heads peeked inside, as Jon stood over his sink, brushing his teeth with his left (good) hand. Then he turned to us and asked, “What are you doing?” The whole scene blew my mind. He not only was brushing his own teeth but said something understandable, which made sense. 

It made me laugh out loud but also encouraged my faith to believe for his continued progress. It may seem trivial that a 46 year old brushes his own teeth, but it’s a huge step of progress for him after his brain injury. The staff and I attempted to brush his teeth many times over the past three years, but he always resisted us. That’s why I was shocked to see him doing it on his own. 

Jon may not be aware, but brushing his teeth was a visible sign of the invisible work that God is still doing in him. If we stop to think about what is different in our lives today compared to three years ago, we would surely find many things to be thankful for, things for which God deserves all the credit. Though we might have new problems today, we have received many new blessings as well. I tend to dwell on the bigger problems, while overlooking the small blessings right in front of me. 

Paul told the Corinthians whether they eat or drink, to do all things to the glory of God. Jon was doing something new and when he turned and asked, “What are you doing?” I can now answer, “I am giving God the glory to see you brushing your own teeth!”

If God were to ask us, “What are you doing?” hopefully we can answer with something that gives Him all the honor and the glory. Whether we eat, drink (or brush our teeth), we do it for the glory of God, as Paul told us to do.

The Christian author, C.S. Lewis, said, “When we lose one blessing, another is often most unexpectedly given in its place.” There will always be something right in front of us, to give God the praise, glory and honor for. 

Lord, we lift up our hearts to you and give you glory. Help us to celebrate the small and unexpected ways that you are blessing us. Amen

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

Genesis 3:15 (RSV)

In this passage of Genesis, God is speaking to the serpent in the garden, who is a personification of Satan. The Lord pronounces a long lasting animosity between the two parties, as He foretold that the seed of a woman and the serpent, will always be at enmity with each other. That prophecy in Genesis also foretold that the ‘seed of the woman’ (Jesus) would crush the head of the serpent (Satan). 

In ancient Hebrew culture ‘the seed’  refers to the children or ancestors of a male person. Abraham’s offspring are known as his seed. Scripture refers to the seed of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and even Ishmael comes from Abraham’s seed. In biblical culture, only men had seed. 

That’s why Genesis 3:15 is radically unusual for its time by referring to the seed of a woman, instead of the seed of a man. Eden’s prophecy refers to ‘her seed’, which we know now is Mary’s seed, and her seed is Jesus. God is funny about doing many things outside the norm of our cultural traditions. 

Biblical history is full of traditions led by men in a man’s world, yet God disregards the traditions of men and reveals a Savior who is to come from the seed of a woman, and not from a man. It had to be a perplexing concept to process at the time. Jesus, in His ministry, did many things outside the cultural norms of His time.

God’s plan to save the world began with a woman. Conceived in a virgin womb with no males involved at all, Jesus is the true seed of Mary, not the seed of a man. He is the one who will one day crush the head of the serpent, once and for all. 

Women didn’t usually play a part in crushing and overcoming evil, until Jesus came from the seed of a woman, and conquered sin once and for all, on the cross. Genesis is a book of generations of broken people, who were stumbling in sin, sorrow and shame until the grace of God sent a Savior.

The families of Genesis tell the stories of people who messed up but found grace. Cain murdered his brother Abel, Esau hated his brother Jacob, Sarah was impulsive and impatient, Abraham was often too passive, and Ishmael was robbed of his birthright and thrown out of the house. Isaac, the child of promise, had to strive by faith, through many dysfunctional family situations. They were not perfect characters who rose to their calling, but flawed people who stumbled and fell, but received God’s grace to rise again and again. 

It’s the story of the Christian faith throughout history, which went through many fires, died and resurrected many times, just as Christian believers do through their storms of life. God works His will in amazing ways, far outside of our traditional expectations. He loves all people, male and female equally, and continues to shower His mercy upon the whole world.

Genesis reminds us to remain open minded to the untraditional, to think outside the box, forgive the faults of others, as we want to be forgiven. God can do anything with anyone, despite their shortcomings, and He tends to do it outside our norms, in the most unexpected ways, yet all for our good.

Lord, thank you for the unique ways you bring redemption to us, and we surrender and open our hearts to whatever you are doing for our good and for your glory. Amen 

“For God speaks in one way,
and in two, though man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, while they slumber on their beds, then he opens the ears of men…”

Job 33:14-16 (RSV)

God speaks to us in many ways. He does it through our thoughts, prayers, a scripture or people He sends to us. Sometimes He speaks to us in our dreams during the night. I seldom remember any of my dreams, but I wrote down the details of one very unique and colorful dream, that I had in 2023, the year of my son’s accident.

It may not be as meaningful to others, but what made it inspiring for me, was that it was like an allegory for the Christian life in general. 

I dreamed that a mysterious male being, who had an aura of authority, came to my front door and told me to come with him to a hiding place. I didn’t know who he was, or what he meant, but somehow, I trusted him, so we set out to travel together on foot. 

We ran through various landscapes, across fields and forests, and only when he held my hand, was I able to run as fast as him, and keep up. When I let go of his hand and ran at my own pace, I lagged far behind him. He was so much faster and stronger than me, so I finally called out, “Hold my hand so I can run faster !” He held my hand and I ran like a gazelle.

We stopped at a pond to drink water, but the pond was dried up. Without saying a word, he helped me to leap over it, and we kept running, though  I never felt tired or thirsty. We finally arrived at a street filled with a row of colorful stucco homes. Each home was a different color and there were men on ladders, working on the finishing touches of each one. On the front of every home was a big cross and colorful banners that contained scripture verses. Then he led me to one of those homes, calling it my “hiding place.” I was about to go inside, when I suddenly woke up. 

Looking back at that colorful, mysterious adventure, here is the meaning I found in it. The man in my dream was a heavenly angel or maybe my guardian angel. Our guardian angels are assigned to keep us moving toward whatever leads us to heaven. 

The Christian journey is an active one, and we are not meant to remain stagnant. The angel who led me in my dream, led with action more than with words. I was able to keep up and run faster, only when he held my hand. All of our hope and strength comes from God, and we stay connected to Him, by keeping our hand in His, as He promised, 

“I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”(Isaiah 41:10)

I thought of the dried up pond and realized that we encounter many dried up ponds in a lifetime. They represent the disappointments and sorrows encountered on our journey of faith. We move forward by leaping over the dried up ponds, keeping our eyes on Christ. We always do better looking ahead, rather than looking back, “forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.”(Philippians 3:13)

Despite that dried up pond, I never felt thirsty in the dream because Jesus gives us living water, and whoever drinks it, will never thirst again. (John 4:14)

Most of what I dreamed are lessons from the gospels, but those colorful homes remain a mystery. Every house had a cross on it, with workmen on ladders, making the finishing touches to the outside. We belong to Christ, but we are all still God’s work in progress, like those homes. We are under renovation as  the Lord makes the finishing touches in our lives. 

I woke up from that dream, without ever seeing what was inside that colorful home. I know it wasn’t a hiding place to keep us from reality, but a place filled with the hidden treasures of wisdom that we gain through the years of knowing Jesus.

He may be teaching us that instead of moving mountains, He wants us to walk us across them, holding His hand. Instead of calming the storm, He is holding our hand and walking through the storms of life with us. Whatever trial we go through, holding onto His hand is what matters most. We can get through anything if we keep holding on to the pierced, nail scarred hand of Jesus. 

Lord, thank you for never leaving us and giving us strength to make this journey with endurance. Help us to always seek the treasures of wisdom hidden in you. Amen

“Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your pallet, and walk.”

John 5:8 (RSV)

The pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem, was known for its healing properties during the time of Jesus. It’s hard to imagine that for thirty eight years, one man never once had the chance to get into the pool. Multitudes of other sick, blind and lame people managed to get into the holy, healing waters, except for that one man.

I think at times, we may feel like that man, who didn’t get the answer to a prayer, who missed opportunities, and never received the help he needed. Some situations leave us feeling isolated, alone or forgotten.

Whether we need healing, a restored relationship, a loved one to return home to their faith, or a financial miracle, Satan, the enemy of our souls, is trying to erode our faith, by making us feel forsaken by God.

The paralytic in this gospel story spent years just waiting. He was at the Bethesda pool longer than anyone else, yet was never able to get in the water. He dwelled on all the people who disappointed him. Of all the people who sought healing at the Bethesda pool, Jesus chose to approach only one man, because the Lord seeks to show compassion to the brokenhearted. 

The strategy of the enemy was to make the paralytic dwell on all those who let him down, and the reasons he failed to get into the water. After thirty eight years, that man’s spiritual self image was more paralyzed than his body. 

When Jesus said “Rise up!”, the man looked up for the first time at Jesus’ face and was instantly healed. Blood began to circulate in his legs, nerves were rejuvenated and muscles were strengthened after many decades of paralysis. 

The Lord says “Rise up” to us as well, meaning to lift our eyes and heart to Him. There is a time to let go of all that has kept us down because Jesus knows what spiritually cripples us. We might be crippled with fear, doubt, guilt or unforgiveness, but our identity is based on who Jesus says we are, not how we feel. In His eyes, we are beloved, not belittled. 

Jesus also tells us who we are not:

We are not the sum of our past failures and mistakes. We are not the label or title that others placed on us. We are not defined by a medical diagnosis, and we are never forsaken or forgotten by God. 

We are chosen, forgiven, resurrected with Christ, and destined to live in victory because He lives to intercede for us every day. (Hebrews 7:25)

When difficult things happen and we hold on to hope, we will rise again by our faith, because Jesus says to us,

“Rise, take up your mat and walk!”

I don’t know what works for others to lift their spirit and inspire hope, but music always does it for me. The song I attached is by Matt Maher, which makes me rise every time I hear it, and is like a healing balm for the soul. 

Lord, lift up the hearts of every reader today and help us see ourselves and others through your eyes. Raise us up with new hope for tomorrow. Amen

GONNA BE ALRIGHT By Matt Maher – YouTube