Whole from the inside out.

If you know Rob you know he is a deep thinker.  You also know that he thinks things through before he says much.  Often life's busyness gets in his way of being able to sit down quietly and read his bible and journal as much as he would like to.  The good thing about recovering is you have lots of time to just sit and reflect which is what Rob has been doing.  Here is his reflection and thoughts from his time with God the other day....




Mark 2:1-12-Jesus forgives and heals a paralytic
Today I was reading chapter 2 from the Gospel of Mark.  Jesus has a crowd gathered around him so friends of a paralytic man lower him through the roof to Jesus' feet to be healed. You can read it here.




I visited the school I work at today and saw my friends and co-workers for the first time in over 3 weeks.  It was great to see them, to be encouraged by their kind words, but also to see their joy at my recovery.  I could sense their sincerity, it surprised them, but I could tell it touched them.  I think this is more than just feeling good about someone's health.  It is evidence that God is good and he heals and loves us.  I can firmly say that I would not be in this good shape without my faith.  Faith in God is what keeps me hopeful, keeps me patient, keeps me humble and gives me the strength to press on.




A serious condition like cancer, or paralysis (as in Mark 2), does something special to your faith.  It proves it.  I wouldn't say it makes it out of nothing, and I wouldn't say it destroys it, if it is there.  The faith God has placed in me has continually been proven through the circumstances I find myself in.  This process of being proven is like packing or condensing a foundation, the concrete needs air vibrated out of it so it will be strong and free of weaknesses.  And so our faith is proven by pressure, shaking, pain and the other messy things in life.  This is what works out the fluff and superficial phoniness.  It makes faith real. 




But what if you have no faith?  What happens to your life when the foundation that is being shaken to pieces is not really there?  Or if it is barely put together?  I have witnessed friends whose faith has fallen apart during adversity. Some have forsaken their faith in God for other things or their fear makes them forget what God has done before.  God is not afraid of our questions.  He wants us to come to Him, begging for answers, healing and miracles if we trust that He will answer and that He loves us.  The paralyzed man and his friends knew that in Mark 2, they came to Jesus desperate, with only faith.  Mark 2:5 says,When Jesus saw their faith He said to the paralyzed man, "Son your sins are forgiven.".  These words mean that Jesus heals the whole person.  He goes soul deep first, meets the spiritual/eternal need of forgiveness and heals the man of his physical malady.




This is what I mean by a foundation. Faith in God, approaching Him wholeheartedly and He makes you firm and secure.  He makes us whole from the inside out.  This is who my faith is in.  What about you?  Will your faith be proven true?  Make sure it's in place before the hard tests come.




I say this because I want people to react like in the last line from Mark 2:12, "This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, 'We have never seen anything like this!'" I don't think I'm a special case, I just want people to see that God has done great things in my life and he's worthy of our trust.




Rob