Choosing Abundance

Buried in the story of Jesus healing Jairus' daughter is a sweet story of the healing of a woman subject to bleeding (Matt 9:18-26, Mark 5:24-34, Luke 8:42-48).  I have ALWAYS loved this story and have never been 100 percent sure why.  Maybe it is because of the audacity of the woman; maybe it is her timidity; maybe it is simply knowing that Jesus cares about the disgusting things, the things that embarrass me. Regardless, I'm thankful that Jesus cared enough about this woman to heal her.

Let me set up how I see the story: Jesus is on his way to ultimately raise a girl from death to life.  While walking the crowd is pressed tight around him.  I see them walking and making it hard for him to move.  And there is this woman.  Honestly she shouldn't be in this crowd at all.  Women who were bleeding were required to call out 'unclean' when coming into contact with others.  She was violating multiple rules laid out in Leviticus.  She was DESPERATE.  She was embarrassed.  She probably hadn't often been lovingly touched because to touch her meant that one became unclean and could not fellowship, couldn't enter the synagogue or temple.  People were inevitably pressing around her as she was reaching for the Master.  She was jeopardizing the ability of others to freely worship God.  And all this for a chance at the freedom she believed Jesus offered.

She wasn't looking for recognition.  She only wanted enough of Jesus to rid her of the ugliness, of the disease, only enough to make her clean.  And she was right!  Simply touching him made her clean.  Think about it, simply touching Jesus is cleansing, redeeming, freeing!

I've always seen this story as a tale of a woman with extraordinary faith.  She knew that just touching Jesus would supply her need.  But as I read this story this week, I saw something drastically more.  She wasn't looking for abundance.  She was only looking for enough. And then I began to wonder...

Is this what I do?  Is this what the church in America does?  Is this why people are rarely dramatically healed?  Is this why we haven't had a sweeping revival in decades?  I think, I believe, that it is.  Instead of falling on our faces before Jesus, instead of pleading for his redemption; instead of exposing our sickness, our unclean desires before HIM, we try to just touch his robe.  We seek enough to be saved, but not enough to be truly changed.  We seek enough to be healed, but not enough to live abundantly.  We seek to be relieved of the disease of sin but we DON'T want the sin exposed.

In the end this woman was exposed.  She was called out.  The affliction she tried so desperately to hide was made known.  Not revealed just to her contemporaries but to you and me, to every generation since the writing of the Gospels.  I have been thinking on how different her story would be if she had fallen on her face before Jesus.  She received the healing she desperately longed for but I think there was more available to her.  If there was more available to her is there more available for me, for us?

I want to stop living in the 'just enough' and start living in the abundance Jesus offers.  It will mean some changes for me.  It will mean earnestly and openly seeking His face.  It will mean believing that I am worth more than just the edge of his robe.  It will mean exposure.  It may mean embarrassment.  But it will be worth it!  Because I will go away truly changed!  I will be free to be exactly who God created me to be.

 I will no longer settle for less than I am worth.  I was worth the CROSS.  You, my friends, were worth the CROSS.  God sent Jesus to die for me, to die for you.  He wants us to have the abundance.  He freely offers the best!  Will you join me in ceasing to settle for the hem of his garment?  Will you go forward in abundance?  Can we say to the world together,  "We are broken and in need of a SAVIOR?  We are sick in need of a HEALER? We were condemned and in need of a REDEEMER? We were lost and in need of a HERO?  We were embarrassed and in need of a FRIEND?  Jesus has been our SAVIOR, HEALER, REDEEMER, HERO and FRIEND!'

This is what our world needs to hear.  That we believe that each person is worthy of the abundance Jesus offers.  The only way to tell others is to show them.  And the only way to show them is to begin living in the proffered abundance of Jesus presence!

Thankful!

I've been trying to keep up with the 30 days of Thanks on Twitter (follow me! @becproverb31)  But thought I would do a thankful post here too. In no particular order (except the first one)...

1. I'm thankful for the saving grace of Jesus.  He loves me unconditionally and completely...even on days when I screw up royally

2.  For my amazing husband.  When most guys come home and watch football, he comes home and folds laundry and mops the floor.  AND he takes care of me when I'm sick (he says I'm mean when I'm sick)

3.  For my AWESOME kids.  I never dreamed I would have five kids in six and a half years.  But I do...and they are wonderful. They make me smile and laugh... and show me JESUS.

4.  The ability to live in a place where I have control over the education of my children.  I count it a blessing to be able to homeschool.  But even more of a blessing that there are options if one day homeschooling doesn't work for me

5.  A Godly heritage of parents and grandparents that served Jesus.

6.  That my mom taught me the hymns.  I love music but songs such as 'Great is Thy Faithfulness'  and 'The Love of Christ' are more precious to me than any other songs I could sing!

7.  Bible Study Fellowship (bsfinternational.org)  This is an amazing way to learn about Jesus and fall ever more in love with Him!!!!

8.  Friends who lend me their children when I feel horrible (Having an extra set of hands is worth more than I can say)

9.  The advances in modern medicine that allow me to have five children.  100 years ago I would have been a statistic of a woman who died in childbirth

10.  The hope of heaven!  Looking forward to worshiping Jesus with my Grandparents and babies that went before me!!!

11.  Coffee (this needs no explanation)

12.  Siblings...most people don't get 12 siblings but I did and they ROCK! Alex, Nathan, Anthony, Jonathan, Quinten and Chandler you made it hard for any guy to measure up and I always felt protected.  Konny, JaNielle, Victoria, Kathryn, Carolyn, Bethany; it is a miracle I ever make friends because you are my best friends and my sisters!

13.  My sister's in law.  Kammi and Racheal are amazing women of God who challenge me.  I wish we lived closer but I truly treasure them. (Amber doesn't quite fit in this category but I'm super thankful for her too!!!)

14.  That God answered my prayers for a big brother in the way of a goofy 12 year old showing up on our porch.  He is still a part of our family and I'm truly thankful!

15.  That my Husband gets to work for a Christian company

16.  For the roof over my head

17.  That on an afternoon in late August 2001, I met Ann.  She was just what God knew I needed!  And we still talk almost every day

18.  For lifelong friends like Emily, Laura, Sarah, and Cori.  The girls I grew up with and who still love me.  Emily and I have more memories from before we were 12 than most friends have in a lifetime

19.  For having the privilege of attending loving churches.  I have always had a church to call my home

20.  For awesome youth group kids like Tiffany and Cassie (and many others).  You two girls especially have become my friends.  I'm so very thankful for you!

21.  For the ability to attend a church who doesn't discriminate based on past choices.  I have learned that we all have hurts, habits, and hang-up that Jesus needs to rescue us from.  I am learning to see myself with humility and grace.  And I'm learning to genuinely love people that probably scared me 7 years ago!

22.  For mended relationships!  I have a few friends I thought I would never see again...boy am I glad I was wrong.

23.  That mom taught me to sew and crochet.  I wasn't very good at it when I started but love to be creative!

24.  That my love of creativity has become something productive for my family.  I seriously enjoy selling on Etsy...etsy.com/shop/becoming31

25.  That for the first time I can remember I won a giveaway!  Super excited to pick out my prizes from m. newsom photography!  etsy.com/shop/mnewsomephotography.  And she blogs at eatmakelive.com

26.  That God blessed me with over 50 cousins!  Family get gatherings may as well be called parties!

27.  For my nieces and nephews!!! Those little girls and boys are crazy amazing!!!

28.  For my aunts and uncles.  I am thankful for the life lessons they taught me

29. For my nursing degree...even though I'm not actively using it I'm crazy thankful for the knowledge I've been given

30.  That I get to be a stay-at-home mama.  Nothing is more precious to me than teaching my littles about Jesus!  There is nothing I will ever do that will hold more eternal significance!

What are you thankful for this year?  Can you list your blessings?  I encourage you to focus on Jesus and and a heart of thankfulness this Holiday season!!

Kristen