FOOD FOR THE SPIRIT

Luke 13:11-13

"And, behold there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no ways lift up herself."

"And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art losed from thine infirmity."

"And he laid his hands on her; and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God."

Wow! When I read this passage, I was touched in so many ways. First of all, this woman had been struggling for so long, not just with her physical condition (not unlike obesity), but undoubtedly on an emotional plane as well. Not only could her poor body not straighten, but I'm sure that at times, her tired spirit "could in no wise lift itself." While I may not be able to relate with her specific condition, I certainly have been to that dark place a time or two, where it was all I could do to simply get out of bed and face another day of being overweight.

Then listen to this part: the moment Christ touched her, she was healed. The very moment. Instantly. Lucky her, right? How would it be to actually have the Savior physically touch us? WRONG! I think that for us, this scripture goes much deeper than that. For us, from that moment when we will fully and faithfully turn our pain over to His capable and healing hands, and submit ourselves to His conditions, we too will be healed. The very moment. Powerful stuff!

For me though, the most important part of the story is found in the last three words: ". . . then glorified God." She recoginized the miracle and promptly glorified her God. Are we aware of the myriad of miracles that happen to us day to day? Do we search them out, then promptly thank God, glorifying His name? Do we write them down so we can remember them and share them with our posterity as a very personal testament of the Savior's love? I know that if we will, miracles will continue to freely flow into our lives, healing our hearts, and blessing us and our loved ones.