Don’t we all want to be healed of something? It could be a disability, or illness, or pain; or it could be a crippling lifestyle that has become an illness, such as alcoholism, overeating, or addiction to something else. It is a place of darkness in a life that yearns for light.
So what holds us back? Do we believe we deserve our illness? Do we think we should just take what life brings and make the best of it? Do we believe that God wants us to suffer, is punishing us? Do we believe that miracles don’t happen any more – if they ever did – and that “faith healing” is fake? Or - are we afraid of how life will be without the illness?
Sometimes our “unwholeness” is not something we can control by lifestyle, and we have tried prayer and laying on of hands with at least the faith of a mustard seed, yet still we are not healed. I cannot explain why this happens. I know people who have been healed through prayer, and I know some who have not. But even if we are not healed, we can do our best to live as if we were healed. What does this look like? It looks like the paraplegic who plays wheelchair basketball and does community service projects. It looks like the kid without arms or legs who has learned to do ordinary tasks without them and goes around giving motivational talks. Their dark places have become beacons of light. We do not have to be defined by our disabilities. Most of us do not have to lie down and quit living a full life. All of us need to turn to Christ for healing and light with a willingness to go where he calls us to go. Only then can we be whole.
reflected by Sharon Sullivan in her book 'Testament'
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