I have been very sick this week. I am still so weak, can't hardly swallow, light-headed, choking on mucus, coughing...and it's so easy to get discouraged by the "impossibilities" loaded on in the last weeks (kids sick, Carl gone, no sleep, tooth pain, root canal, bad sleep, flu, I think I even have poison oak!, more tooth pain, worry about traveling to Germany in 4 days, no one will pick me up when I get there, I can't even begin to pack.....etc.) yet the Lord has been giving me the gift of rest (Carl's been here--although it frustrates him too not to get to the things he's "supposed" to be doing) and thoughts of humor and hope. Almost as if God has been telling me, "and you thought THIS was impossible...here is more, and by the way, NOTHING is impossible with ME!" Trust ME, look to ME, love ME.
The following text was written by Charles Spurgeon - what wonderful encouragement.
“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”—1 Peter 5:7
It is a happy way of soothing sorrow, when we can feel—“HE cares for ME!” Christian! do not dishonor God, by always wearing a brow of worry! Come--cast your burden upon your God! You are staggering beneath a weight--which your Father would not feel. What seems like a crushing burden to you--would be but as small dust to Him. Nothing is so sweet as to,
“Lie passive in God's hands,
And know no will, but His.”
O child of suffering--be patient! God has not overlooked you in His providence. He who is the feeder of sparrows--will also furnish you with what you need. Do not sit down in despair.
There is One who cares for you!
His all-seeing eye is fixed on you!
His all-loving heart beats with pity for your woe!
His omnipotent hand shall yet bring you the needed help!
The darkest cloud--shall scatter itself in showers of mercy.
The blackest gloom--shall give place to the morning light.
If you are one of His family--He will bind up your wounds, and heal your broken heart. Do not doubt His grace, because of your troubles--but believe that He loves you as much in seasons of distress--as in times of happiness. What a serene and quiet life might you lead--if you would leave providing--to the God of providence!
If God cares for you--why need you care also? Can you trust Him for your soul--and not for your body? He has never refused to bear your burdens--He has never fainted under their weight. Come, then, soul! Be done with fretful worry--and leave all your concerns in the hand of your gracious God!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
2 Timothy 1:12
I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Poured Forth by Amy Carmichael
Song of Songs 1:3 Thy name is as ointment poured forth.
Have you ever tried to get something out of a bottle without taking the cork out first? Some people remind me of bottles with the cork in. There is something truly good inside, but it is corked up. It cannot get out for the help of others.
Do you feel sometimes like a corked-up bottle? It is a stuffy, uncomfortable sort of feeling, but some manage to get on like that for months on end, to their great loss, and the loss of all who have to do with them.
Dear corked-up bottles, do go and get uncorked! There is only One who can take out the cork of self-love, or shyness, or sleepiness, or whatever it is that keeps you from pouring out for others all you have been given. He who was always sweetness poured forth ("Thy name is as ointment poured forth"), He can uncork your bottle; and then all you are and have will be used in the joyful service of others.
Have you ever tried to get something out of a bottle without taking the cork out first? Some people remind me of bottles with the cork in. There is something truly good inside, but it is corked up. It cannot get out for the help of others.
Do you feel sometimes like a corked-up bottle? It is a stuffy, uncomfortable sort of feeling, but some manage to get on like that for months on end, to their great loss, and the loss of all who have to do with them.
Dear corked-up bottles, do go and get uncorked! There is only One who can take out the cork of self-love, or shyness, or sleepiness, or whatever it is that keeps you from pouring out for others all you have been given. He who was always sweetness poured forth ("Thy name is as ointment poured forth"), He can uncork your bottle; and then all you are and have will be used in the joyful service of others.
Church Life
There are definitely different components to church life. These range from formal/public to informal/private. All are necessary and part of building up the church.
On one end of the spectrum is the formal/public ministry of the church. This mainly takes place during "official" church meetings. Here 1 Timothy 4:13 is applied: "Devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching." (Also 2 Timothy 4:2)
In the middle of the spectrum is ministry of the church which comes home. Acts 20:20 comes to mind. "You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house." (Also Acts 2:46 and Hebrews 10:24-25)
Then there is the really informal and private ministry of the church. "We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us" (1 Thessalonians 2:8). This can also be reference in Matthew 3:31-35; John 19:25-27; Romans 12:13; Galatians 6:1-2; Colossians 3:13-16; Titus 2:3-5; and James 5:16.
The application here is this: is the church ministering in all of these ways, not only publicly but also privately, the point of sharing life on such a deep level?
On one end of the spectrum is the formal/public ministry of the church. This mainly takes place during "official" church meetings. Here 1 Timothy 4:13 is applied: "Devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching." (Also 2 Timothy 4:2)
In the middle of the spectrum is ministry of the church which comes home. Acts 20:20 comes to mind. "You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house." (Also Acts 2:46 and Hebrews 10:24-25)
Then there is the really informal and private ministry of the church. "We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us" (1 Thessalonians 2:8). This can also be reference in Matthew 3:31-35; John 19:25-27; Romans 12:13; Galatians 6:1-2; Colossians 3:13-16; Titus 2:3-5; and James 5:16.
The application here is this: is the church ministering in all of these ways, not only publicly but also privately, the point of sharing life on such a deep level?
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Is the GOAL of this life to get married and have kids?
Is getting married, having kids, as many kids as possible, the end all, be all, ultimate goal for Christians in this life according to the New Testament? I have been thinking a great deal about this as I have friends who are not getting married or getting pregnant.
Being married or being a parent is all the things the Scriptures say--a blessing, a wonder, and a great responsibility. But specifically going from unmarried to married, or from no children/wanting children to having them--is this the priority of our life here for the kingdom of God? A passage that got me thinking is Matthew 19:1-15:
1When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. 2Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
3 Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”
4“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ 5and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?
6So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”
7“Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?” 8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
10The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”
11Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. 12For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”
13Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. 14Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 15When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.
Jesus makes the point that it is a righteous perspective to be unmarried for the kingdom of God. Marriage is a blessing, children are precious in His sight, but God's priority is broader than to get married or have children. A man or woman who doesn't get married is undivided. A couple serving the Lord in some remote location who doesn't have children for the sake of the Gospel is not ungodly. I desire my children to grow up to serve the Lord however and where ever the Lord puts them on the Earth--even to the ends of the Earth. I don't want the goal of their life to be to get married and have children, because that is not the ultimate goal in this life for a Christian. God may lead them to get married and have children. He may then take their children or spouse or both away. For the married the priority becomes the husband and children. Our husband and children are not a distraction, but should open and enrich our ministry for sure. They are a blessing and a priority for ministry--second only to the Lord in our attention. What moves down in priority? The lost, the church, other people, other people's children....
This is where my ponderings go into meshing the biological family and family of faith. Is there a need for the body of Christ aside from Sundays? Is my family exclusively receiving my tenderness, my time, my devotion? That is something that is difficult and yet necessary to discern. Lord, do you want me to dedicate more to this family and less to the church? How can I be faithful to those you've entrusted me with? Who else do you want me to love for the sake of the Gospel? How do you want me to love them? I think of the Titus 2 passage here:
Titus 2:3-5
Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good.
Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children,
to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.
Who is going to teach the younger women in our church? How are they going to teach them? This comes back to what I wrote a few weeks back. I think that time together on a consistent basis (aside from Sunday mornings) is necessary for this training. Here is where the thinking cannot be: should I bother with these young ladies--I have my own children to train? Their own moms should train them. Here is also where I have come to have great peace about our decision NOT to have more children (unless the Lord wills otherwise). I have limited time and energy to invest in my husband and children. Beside these, He has called me to minister to the other dear ones around me--the women and children specifically. I cannot do this if all my focus is inward and if I continue to have more children. I want to minister to the children I have, as well as the sweet children of my sister-in-Christ who has demonstrated time and time again the desire for her church family to be an intimate part of life and that of her children. After all, I committed to encouraging her and her husband in the raising of their children when they stood before the church and dedicated each child. (One passage that refers to "children" is speaking of relationships that are not even biological--but oh so dear--like 3 John 1:4, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.") I want to, as Jesus said, "renounce" having more children "for the sake of the kingdom of heaven." I want to be about serving the Lord with gladness alongside my husband and with my children right there in whatever way He wants us to. I am not saying it is wrong to desire children, have children, and lots of them. I am not saying it is bad to get married or have that desire. I am saying that it is wrong to say that the opposite is wrong, and that it can be wrong if getting married and having children takes precedence over the fact that the priority of our life here is for the kingdom of God. For Him and to His glory--by Him, and through Him, in our marriage, in our family, in our faith family, in our neighborhood, in our community, in our world. I am not saying that the New Testament doesn't pertain to marriage or having children. I just have noticed that there isn't much mention of the apostles' wives or children...but instead such an urgency to proclaim the Gospel and live it. And I notice how incredibly intimate the mention of other believers is, such deep relationships to be had! May He direct our paths in this and give us discerning and wise hearts in all these things.
Of course, I am speaking as a married mother (I have a husband and children). These relationships are something the Lord has brought into my life and they are a GOOD thing. They are not wrong. I do not wish I were not married or had no or fewer children. I need to be faithful in loving and placing these ones first and foremost as far as relationships go. I must treasure them and love them as the ones God has placed in my life as a priority. The Body of Christ is bigger and the blessings to be had richer than just our little circle though. The more we open our home and are knit together with other believers, the more amazing this picture of "family" becomes (Jesus says, "Who are my mother and brothers and sisters....Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother" Mark 3:33-35). But I digress.
A passage that has also challenged me about the priority of GETTING married and HAVING more children is 1 Corinthians 7:32-35:
32I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs — how he can please the Lord. 33But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world — how he can please his wife — 34and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world — how she can please her husband. 35I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.
That you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord. Wow. For me this clearly shows where our priority must lie, whether we are married, unmarried, parents, children, grandparents, or whatever our family situation looks like. It goes back to the first commandment. Jesus says in Mark 12:30, quoting Deuteronomy 6:5: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Jesus demonstrates this as he outlines his plans in Mark 8:31. He would suffer, be rejected by the "spiritual" leaders, killed, and rise again after 3 days. Peter doesn't like this and Jesus rebukes Peter "for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's" (Mark 8:33). Jesus then teaches: "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's shall save it" (Mark 8:34-36). Jesus' priorities for life surely set the precedence for us.
The question about life--and in this considering whether or not to get married and whether or not to have children/more children--becomes, as it should be with all things, what is it, Lord, that would please You? How can I deny myself, take up my cross and follow You? How can I lose my life for Your sake and the gospel's? How can I love You and the people you have called me to love best? May your will be done in my life, as it is in Heaven. Guard me against sinful attitudes in which I try to hold on to the plans and ideas I have for my life and what would please me. I am Yours.
Being married or being a parent is all the things the Scriptures say--a blessing, a wonder, and a great responsibility. But specifically going from unmarried to married, or from no children/wanting children to having them--is this the priority of our life here for the kingdom of God? A passage that got me thinking is Matthew 19:1-15:
1When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. 2Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
3 Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”
4“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ 5and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?
6So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”
7“Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?” 8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
10The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”
11Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. 12For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”
13Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. 14Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 15When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.
Jesus makes the point that it is a righteous perspective to be unmarried for the kingdom of God. Marriage is a blessing, children are precious in His sight, but God's priority is broader than to get married or have children. A man or woman who doesn't get married is undivided. A couple serving the Lord in some remote location who doesn't have children for the sake of the Gospel is not ungodly. I desire my children to grow up to serve the Lord however and where ever the Lord puts them on the Earth--even to the ends of the Earth. I don't want the goal of their life to be to get married and have children, because that is not the ultimate goal in this life for a Christian. God may lead them to get married and have children. He may then take their children or spouse or both away. For the married the priority becomes the husband and children. Our husband and children are not a distraction, but should open and enrich our ministry for sure. They are a blessing and a priority for ministry--second only to the Lord in our attention. What moves down in priority? The lost, the church, other people, other people's children....
This is where my ponderings go into meshing the biological family and family of faith. Is there a need for the body of Christ aside from Sundays? Is my family exclusively receiving my tenderness, my time, my devotion? That is something that is difficult and yet necessary to discern. Lord, do you want me to dedicate more to this family and less to the church? How can I be faithful to those you've entrusted me with? Who else do you want me to love for the sake of the Gospel? How do you want me to love them? I think of the Titus 2 passage here:
Titus 2:3-5
Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good.
Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children,
to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.
Who is going to teach the younger women in our church? How are they going to teach them? This comes back to what I wrote a few weeks back. I think that time together on a consistent basis (aside from Sunday mornings) is necessary for this training. Here is where the thinking cannot be: should I bother with these young ladies--I have my own children to train? Their own moms should train them. Here is also where I have come to have great peace about our decision NOT to have more children (unless the Lord wills otherwise). I have limited time and energy to invest in my husband and children. Beside these, He has called me to minister to the other dear ones around me--the women and children specifically. I cannot do this if all my focus is inward and if I continue to have more children. I want to minister to the children I have, as well as the sweet children of my sister-in-Christ who has demonstrated time and time again the desire for her church family to be an intimate part of life and that of her children. After all, I committed to encouraging her and her husband in the raising of their children when they stood before the church and dedicated each child. (One passage that refers to "children" is speaking of relationships that are not even biological--but oh so dear--like 3 John 1:4, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.") I want to, as Jesus said, "renounce" having more children "for the sake of the kingdom of heaven." I want to be about serving the Lord with gladness alongside my husband and with my children right there in whatever way He wants us to. I am not saying it is wrong to desire children, have children, and lots of them. I am not saying it is bad to get married or have that desire. I am saying that it is wrong to say that the opposite is wrong, and that it can be wrong if getting married and having children takes precedence over the fact that the priority of our life here is for the kingdom of God. For Him and to His glory--by Him, and through Him, in our marriage, in our family, in our faith family, in our neighborhood, in our community, in our world. I am not saying that the New Testament doesn't pertain to marriage or having children. I just have noticed that there isn't much mention of the apostles' wives or children...but instead such an urgency to proclaim the Gospel and live it. And I notice how incredibly intimate the mention of other believers is, such deep relationships to be had! May He direct our paths in this and give us discerning and wise hearts in all these things.
Of course, I am speaking as a married mother (I have a husband and children). These relationships are something the Lord has brought into my life and they are a GOOD thing. They are not wrong. I do not wish I were not married or had no or fewer children. I need to be faithful in loving and placing these ones first and foremost as far as relationships go. I must treasure them and love them as the ones God has placed in my life as a priority. The Body of Christ is bigger and the blessings to be had richer than just our little circle though. The more we open our home and are knit together with other believers, the more amazing this picture of "family" becomes (Jesus says, "Who are my mother and brothers and sisters....Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother" Mark 3:33-35). But I digress.
A passage that has also challenged me about the priority of GETTING married and HAVING more children is 1 Corinthians 7:32-35:
32I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs — how he can please the Lord. 33But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world — how he can please his wife — 34and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world — how she can please her husband. 35I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.
That you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord. Wow. For me this clearly shows where our priority must lie, whether we are married, unmarried, parents, children, grandparents, or whatever our family situation looks like. It goes back to the first commandment. Jesus says in Mark 12:30, quoting Deuteronomy 6:5: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Jesus demonstrates this as he outlines his plans in Mark 8:31. He would suffer, be rejected by the "spiritual" leaders, killed, and rise again after 3 days. Peter doesn't like this and Jesus rebukes Peter "for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's" (Mark 8:33). Jesus then teaches: "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's shall save it" (Mark 8:34-36). Jesus' priorities for life surely set the precedence for us.
The question about life--and in this considering whether or not to get married and whether or not to have children/more children--becomes, as it should be with all things, what is it, Lord, that would please You? How can I deny myself, take up my cross and follow You? How can I lose my life for Your sake and the gospel's? How can I love You and the people you have called me to love best? May your will be done in my life, as it is in Heaven. Guard me against sinful attitudes in which I try to hold on to the plans and ideas I have for my life and what would please me. I am Yours.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
January-February Photos
Hanna, Carl, Maggie, and Lily in the mustard.
Valentine's Day Sweeties
Our family
Snow trip to Truckee--
Hanna sledding (above) and Maggie catches major air.
First skiing for Hanna and Maggie.
Lily kisses Mr. Snowman.
Couch pile-up with Papa.Indian maidens and fry bread.
Indian maidens and fry bread.Tuesday, February 10, 2009
The Antidote for Worry
I've been reading in the book of Mark--chapters 4, 5, and 6. Many terrible things are happening. Jesus and his disciples don't get much sleep or time to even eat. Multitudes of people are pushing, shoving, and so very needy. There is an enormous storm that has these seasoned fishermen terrified. They are sure their boat is sinking and that they will drown. A huge amount of evil spirits possess a man that is tormented day and night. A 12 year-old daughter is dying. A woman has been bleeding for 12 years, spending all she had on doctors that only made her problem worse. The 12 year-old girl dies. Jesus just doesn't seem to be in a hurry to keep these things from happening. These are all completely logical causes for worry!
But Jesus treats each case with authority that clearly shows who He is--God! In each worrisome situation, there is the opportunity for fear or for faith.
His disciples keep being captured by their fears. This storm is just too much for God. Jesus doesn't even seem to care. He's snoozing away without a care. What is wrong with Him?! Jesus, when roused, responds to his disciples' fears with, "Why are you timid? Don't you have faith?" and he stretches out his hands and calms the seas and winds.
Jesus tosses out the 2,000 demons, enlisting the jubilant, cleansed man not to follow Him but to go tell others what had happened (while those who had seen it want Jesus out of their life). He is free, while the observers continue to be bound as they reject the Source of freedom.
Jesus goes to the house of the dying daughter, but on the way gets waylaid by the touch of the bleeding woman who knows if she just touches the fabric connected to Jesus, she'll be healed. Jesus knows that the power has gone forth, and tells the quivering woman that her faith had healed her. No more fear.
But now poor Jairus, the daddy who had rushed to get Jesus to his dying daughter, get news that it's too late. Jesus just wasn't quick enough. Surely here is cause for worry, for bitterness (why did that lady touch Jesus and slow Him down), for pride (I am more important than others--I am a synagogue official)...for selfishness (I was here first). Right away Jesus turns to this man and comforts him, "Don't be afraid, just believe." And that, in a spiritual nutshell, is the antidote for worry. Battling fear and trying desperately to believe, Jairus goes with Jesus and watches him raise his little girl from the dead.
Jesus works on growing faith instead of fear with the disciples, sending them out two by two to preach repentance. "Take nothing," He says. You can picture the guys glancing at each other with wrinkled brows and wide eyes. "Nothing? That's terrifying. No food? I need to eat. In fact, I'm hungry right now. No extra clothes? I might get cold, or dirty, or what I have on may wear out. Where will I sleep? I've never gone very far from home before. Who's going to listen? What if they laugh? The people just laughed at Jesus for saying the little girl wasn't dead. I am not Jesus. I don't know what to say!" Jesus continues to grow their faith as they go out and come back to Him. He's waiting to hear and give them rest.
In the most terrifying times, or times where thoughts just don't stop rampaging--Don't worry or be afraid, just believe. Believe in Jesus.
But Jesus treats each case with authority that clearly shows who He is--God! In each worrisome situation, there is the opportunity for fear or for faith.
His disciples keep being captured by their fears. This storm is just too much for God. Jesus doesn't even seem to care. He's snoozing away without a care. What is wrong with Him?! Jesus, when roused, responds to his disciples' fears with, "Why are you timid? Don't you have faith?" and he stretches out his hands and calms the seas and winds.
Jesus tosses out the 2,000 demons, enlisting the jubilant, cleansed man not to follow Him but to go tell others what had happened (while those who had seen it want Jesus out of their life). He is free, while the observers continue to be bound as they reject the Source of freedom.
Jesus goes to the house of the dying daughter, but on the way gets waylaid by the touch of the bleeding woman who knows if she just touches the fabric connected to Jesus, she'll be healed. Jesus knows that the power has gone forth, and tells the quivering woman that her faith had healed her. No more fear.
But now poor Jairus, the daddy who had rushed to get Jesus to his dying daughter, get news that it's too late. Jesus just wasn't quick enough. Surely here is cause for worry, for bitterness (why did that lady touch Jesus and slow Him down), for pride (I am more important than others--I am a synagogue official)...for selfishness (I was here first). Right away Jesus turns to this man and comforts him, "Don't be afraid, just believe." And that, in a spiritual nutshell, is the antidote for worry. Battling fear and trying desperately to believe, Jairus goes with Jesus and watches him raise his little girl from the dead.
Jesus works on growing faith instead of fear with the disciples, sending them out two by two to preach repentance. "Take nothing," He says. You can picture the guys glancing at each other with wrinkled brows and wide eyes. "Nothing? That's terrifying. No food? I need to eat. In fact, I'm hungry right now. No extra clothes? I might get cold, or dirty, or what I have on may wear out. Where will I sleep? I've never gone very far from home before. Who's going to listen? What if they laugh? The people just laughed at Jesus for saying the little girl wasn't dead. I am not Jesus. I don't know what to say!" Jesus continues to grow their faith as they go out and come back to Him. He's waiting to hear and give them rest.
In the most terrifying times, or times where thoughts just don't stop rampaging--Don't worry or be afraid, just believe. Believe in Jesus.
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