«When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?’ » (John 5:6).
Christine Caine, Australian author and preacher, had a difficult childhood. Abandoned by her biological parents, she suffered from bullying at school and sexual abuse for twelve years. Today, through her ministry, she is dedicated to helping other survivors of abuse and to preventing human trafficking. Although she has a lot of compassion for those who have suffered like her, she also believes it is important not to hold on to the victim status and not allow the past to define us. In her article «Do You Want to Be Healed?» she wrote, «We must be very careful, because sometimes our status as victims becomes our identity.. .. Healing involves responsibility.»
We have all been wounded to a greater or lesser extent. We can all remember painful chapters in our lives that make our eyes fill with tears. And, as Christine said, although having faith in Jesus does not give us amnesia, it does give us a choice: we can look at our wounds and use them as a permanent excuse or look at Jesus and patiently take the path of recovery.
In Falling Upward, theologian Richard Rohr explained that we tend to «remain identified by the wound (i.e., to use the victim status itself as an identity, as a ticket of sympathy, as an excuse not to serve), rather than using the wound to redeem the world, as we see in Jesus and in people who turn their wounds into sacred wounds, freeing themselves and others.» As we tend to allow our wounds to define us, Jesus asked the paralytic at Bethesda: «Do you want to be made well?» At first glance, it seems like an ironic question. Who wouldn’t like to walk again after thirty-eight years on a pallet? However, Jesus was saying to him: «Are you willing to take responsibility for finding work and not living any longer on charity? Do you want to be healed, even if it means not receiving the attention and sympathy of others?» Healing involves responsibility and gives us greater capacity for impact and influence.
When that man got up, rolled up his pallet and carried it under his arm; that symbol of his past became a powerful story of redemption. The past did not disappear, but Jesus transformed that pallet which had been a prison into an emblem of freedom.
Jesus, I want You to heal all my wounds. You define me, not my past.
#WomensDevotional
#RadioJovenAdventista
#MeditacionesDiarias
Take From: Devotional Thoughts for Women 2022
«NO FEARS»
BY: VANEZA PISSUTO
Collaborators: Alexandra Perez & Angelica Cuate
