​This past weekend I met up with my parents and grandparents and we went to a comfort food style place by the highway for lunch (I’m not naming names but I bet you can guess which one I’m talking about!).

When we got there, we were seated pretty promptly, within 15 minutes, but then waited about 45 minutes for our food. I came in somewhat hungry but after an hour of waiting, I could definitely be considered hungry. We stared at the trays of food coming out of the kitchen, hoping each one would be ours. When I’m hungry, I start feeling weak. And when I start feeling weak, I can’t think or do anything else until food is placed in front of me. 

Fortunately, the food finally came. We feasted on the comfort food in front of us and left with full bellies. 

I started thinking about the purpose of food. It’s almost like a mini healing. We go throughout our day doing our activities but then we need to refuel, and the purpose of that refuel time is so we can continue to do our activities with strength and energy. 

Thinking about this smaller scale healing made me think of Jesus healing Simon’s mother-in-law in Luke 4. She was sick with a fever, bedridden, and could not engage in her normal activities. As soon as Jesus healed her, she immediately began waiting on the disciples (Luke 4:39; Mark 1:31). 

Her healing wasn’t so she could sit on the couch and watch TV better, her healing was so she could engage in her spiritual gift of hospitality! And isn’t that often what physical and spiritual healing from God is all about? 

When God heals our marriage, our cancer, our addiction, our need for constant attention, God’s healing usually multiplies that healing to benefit others. Simon’s mother-in-law’s healing benefited the disciples, God healing a pornography addiction helps others with that same addiction, God healing a broken heart helps others going through a tough time.

That is the beauty of redemptive healing. God doesn't waste, God multiplies. God does not cause harm or hurt, God redeems. God uses all things for good. 

"God doesn't waste, God multiplies."

And God’s healing may manifest in different ways. It may come from a doctor, a trusted counselor, prayer, or a loving community. 

The problems happen when we try to heal ourselves. Instead of using food to refuel, we use it to soothe our pain. Instead of moving forward from our difficult past, we justify our actions by stewing in bitterness and resentment. Instead of dealing with the underlying issues of addiction, we cover it up by distracting ourselves with busyness. 

We can’t heal ourselves. God heals. And God doesn’t just offer food to refuel us, God offers living water, the cup of salvation, and the bread of heaven. We are renewed and energized from the living water God gives us and we are sustained by the bread and the cup. God does this because God is love. God loves us and God also loves those around us. Our healing impacts us and it impacts others. 

If you are in the midst of pain and brokenness today, hold on to the promise that you will be healed—either on this side of eternity or the next. Your hurt will be used for good. Rest in the beauty of redemption and keep your eyes open to the work God is doing through your healing. 

Let’s pray: Gracious God, thank you for your redemptive love. Thank you for turning our pain into a plan for us and for others. Amen.

It’s become tradition that I take a family girl's trip each year. Both times we’ve headed to this amazing cabin-like home with an incredible view that’s next to a state park. The beauty of this state park is that you can park right near the overlooks to see the views without much walking, because I’m not much of a hiker. A. Because cars were invented in like the 1800s so I think we should respect that progress and B. Because I’ve torn both IT bands and just literally can’t hike for long before my knees start giving out. 

As we pulled up to the state park there were all sorts of road closure signs by the parking lot and a park ranger directing traffic. He told us that the normal entrance and parking lot was closed and that we needed to go to the overlook from another entrance and trail that would be only about a third of a mile walk. So, thinking that didn’t seem too bad, we followed his guidance and parked in the other lot, expecting only a brief walk to get where we wanted to be. 

Of course, we ended up getting lost at first because the trails were not marked clearly, and what was supposed to be one third of a mile was probably more like three or four just to get to the overlook. And on the way back, my knees would not allow me to walk any further so my sister-in-law had to pick me up with the car from the side of the road. I was a pitiful sight and my knees hurt for the rest of the weekend. (I feel old)

The Park Ranger was of course doing his job, but he didn’t know all the ins and outs of our needs. He didn’t know I came to this specific park because I have knee problems and didn’t want to walk far to see vistas. He didn’t know we needed more specific guidance and instructions so that we wouldn’t get lost, he just pointed us to “that way” and left us on our own. After we left, I doubt he gave us a second thought, and never stopped to wonder if we were OK or needed help. 

This not-so-fun trek in the woods reminded me of John where Jesus discusses being the Good Shepherd. Jesus talks about how he is different than a hired hand - or Park Ranger in this case- who looks after the sheep. Hired hands don’t stick around when the wolves come, they get the heck outta there because they are only concerned about personal safety, not the safety of the sheep. Like the Park Ranger who had no idea about my knee problem, the hired hands don’t know all the ailments or individual needs of each sheep, they’re just helpers, and at the end of the day, they’re not the shepherd, they just get paid by the hour and want to go home after their shift! 

But the beautiful part of this passage is the assurance that we have a Shepherd who chose us before we were born and who knows us intimately. We have a Shepherd who doesn’t just point us to the right path and forgets about us, our Shepherd walks with us on the path. Our Shepherd knows the way, knows our needs and ailments--knows what it’s like to have those same ailments—and is present with us during every fall, every scary moment, and every difficulty we encounter on the journey. 

"Our Shepherd ... knows our needs and ailments—knows what it’s like to have those same ailments—."

No matter what circumstance you are going through, I hope you’ll hold on to the promise that you have a Good Shepherd who is with you, who loves you, who will help you, and who will never leave you. 

Let’s pray: Good shepherd, we are so grateful to be your sheep. thank you for loving us so much, for choosing us, and for knowing us so intimately. Thank you for walking alongside us no matter what obstacles, danger, or ditches we find ourselves in. Amen. 

Reflect: Think about your past difficulties. How has Jesus been a Good Shepherd for you? Have there been any moments of beauty and redemption in your deepest pain? 

During a recent vacation, I decided to walk a labyrinth that was on the property of where I was staying. A labyrinth is a geometric-shaped walking path used for prayer and meditation - a practice Christians have been participating in throughout the centuries. The labyrinth is not a maze, but rather a winding path that leads to a central location, and then you walk that same path back out. 

Walking the labyrinth sounded so refreshing. I’d been feeling a lot of discontentment, burn out, and restlessness and was eager to receive some much needed clarity. The weather was a perfect 72 degrees and I just knew this was going to be a momentous prayer time.

Then, as I arrived to the gate of the labyrinth ready to hear God in fresh and profound ways, the lawnmower started. 

Around and around it went, circling the labyrinth, spouting shards of grass through the air, droning louder than a Muse concert. My precious time of quiet prayer and contemplation was no more. 

And isn’t that just like life, though? Full of interruptions, unplanned detours, and unforeseen circumstances. We may enter the labyrinth of our lives sure of where the path may lead, only to find ourselves on an unexpected road.

I’m reminded that part of the journey is an acceptance of what is. The good. The bad. The confusing. The waiting. The lawnmower. It can all be made holy.

One day a while back, I volunteered at a coat drive with my church. It was a wintery Saturday morning and I pulled up to a local middle school to help give away coats to local families who came to the coat drive. I was of course, wearing my favorite coat that day. It wasn’t an expensive coat, it came from Sam’s Club, but nevertheless, it was my favorite shade of royal purple with the perfect puffer size that fit me perfectly. 

As I walked into the middle school auditorium, it was significantly warmer than it was outside and I realized I would need to take off my coat. Not wanting to give away my coat that I was wearing that day, I set it aside, away from the tables with all the other coats on them, on the bleachers in the auditorium.

After a couple hours of hanging out and helping people pick out coats, it was time for us to wrap up. So I helped clean up and went to go grab my coat to head home. If I’m being honest, I probably walked to go get my coat with some sort of satisfaction and a “I spent my Saturday volunteering” kind of saunter. And as soon as I walked proudly to the bleachers I realized my coat had been taken. Someone must have mistaken my coat on the bleachers for one of the coats being given away and someone left that day wearing my favorite purple coat. And I will not lie to you, I was really sad. And cold.

And it’s as if God hit me over the head that day (OK, so maybe more like a tender hug before dropping a truth bomb) and I heard a voice that said, “You want to serve? This is how you serve. Take the coat off your back.”

Taking the literal clothes off my back to clothe someone else reminded me of a quote by Bruce Waltke, author of The Book of Proverbs, that says, “The righteous are willing to disadvantage themselves to advantage the community; the wicked are willing to disadvantage the community to advantage themselves” (1).