Lifting Her Up

And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon's mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. And the whole city was gathered together at the door. And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. Mark 1:29-34

One of the biggest challenges of healing is the patience it takes as the body mends. I got a concussion several weeks ago at which time they said it would take days or possibly weeks to heal. And now, as time drags on, the doctor says it's not uncommon for it to take a long time and to be patient. One of my least favorite words. We neither like to be patient or to be taken care of but would rather be up and doing.

After a bit of a challenging time at the temple, they brought Jesus to Simon's house. Simon Peter is the king of impatience, a very human human, and often in trouble for his attitude. His mother is sick and he takes Jesus to see her. Jesus heals her and she gets up and to her joy, is able to feed her family and her guests. Jesus is overwhelmed by the need around him and has compassion on their needs. He looked at the face of great suffering and ended it. Today God is offering compassion in the face of suffering and seeks in every moment to end the world's pain and suffering.

I ask God to help me today do all in my power to end another's suffering. May we be instruments of God's love and compassion here on earth. May we ache with others, walking with them through their ordeal, bringing them hope and solace in their pain. And may we all be willing to ask for the healing we need, so God might use us for the healing of others today.