Recently I finished reading the Gospel of Matthew, and now
I'm reading the Gospel of Mark. "And forthwith, when they were come out of
the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and
John. But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell Him of
her. And He came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately
the fever left her, and she ministered unto them" (Mark 1:29-31). Jesus
had just delivered a man from an unclean spirit (vv. 23-26), so certainly He
could cure a fever.
Yet, that wasn't what caught my attention this time. It was
verse 31 (emphasis added). "And He came and took her by the hand, and
lifted her up; and immediately the fever
left her, and she ministered unto them." She served them as soon as
she was well. I think there is a lesson we may learn from this woman.
I'm a disabled person, and I long to experience physical
healing, to be like almost everyone else. That feeling is natural, I suppose;
and maybe good as well. The Bible says, "Beloved, I wish above all things
that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth" (3
John 1:2). From this, we see that it isn't wrong to want to "be in
health"—else why would the apostle John wish this for his friend—but our reasons for wanting this may be wrong.
The few Scriptures concerning Peter's mother-in-law don't
give us much information about her—not even her name—but they do send one
message through loud and clear if we're paying enough attention: she used the
blessing Jesus bestowed upon her as a means to
bless others, not to serve herself.
This should be our main reason for wanting any gift from God, even the gift of
health. Perhaps some of you reading this live largely in a wheelchair as I do,
or maybe you're hindered some other way physically, and just want out of that situation. I understand,
believe me; but instead of focusing on our desires and their fulfillment, maybe
we all should focus on preparing ourselves daily to make good use of them if
and when they are fulfilled (our
desires aren't always the best for us, you know). Let's focus our attention on
blessing others now, in whatever way
we are able, so that when we receive greater privileges in the future (whether
here or above), we will use them to bless others then as well, in a greater way than before.
Blessings,
Jean
