“Jesus stepped into a boat crossed over and came to his own town. Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”
Matthew 9:1-2
“A ruler came and knelt before him and said, ‘my daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.’ Jessus got aup and went with him ..he said ‘go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.’ But they laughed at him. After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.”
Matthew 9:18-25
“Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, ‘If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.’ Jesus turned and saw her. ‘Take heart, daughter,’ he said ‘ your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that moment.”
Matthew 9:20-22
“two blind men followed him calling out, ‘have mercy on us, Son of David!’ When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him , and he asked them, “do you believe that I cam able to do this?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ they replied. Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith will it be done to you’; and their sight was restored.”
Matthew 9:27-30
Faith is what Jesus is looking for from these followers. He has crowds around him all day everyday trying to get something from him, trying to be heard, trying to be healed and even trying to harass him. But it is their faith and their trust that he is looking for. That is all you need to please the Lord and to convince him that you put him as the highest most powerful savior and almighty ruler.
We must recognize that He can do anything. That he is in control of all things good and powerful.
Lord,
I turn my life over to you again today. I put my faith in you and my trust that you will heal me of weakness and this sore throat and that you will give me strength and clarity as to how to spend my precious time on this earth.
That is one lesson I have learned over the past week. That life is a gift. This time in my life is a gift and I must try harder not to waste it. And not to spend it in ways that displease you. Instead I should search for a way to please you.
All year I have pleaded “I want I want I want to live abroad, go abroad, travel.” Sitting in Kingston, not talking to anyone, not venturing out, not producing anything, no learning, not devoting myself to you, not reading or studying or working…is not the way to repay you for this amazing gift. Please help me find a way to make this a useful week in my life and on my journey with you.
Love you bunches, Please forgive me,
Jessica
Another lesson I learned from this chapter today (which I read on a bench outside a Starbucks on a busy pedestrian street in Kingston outside of London) is that now is the time when the guests should morn the bridegroom’s absence. Now is the time we should be fasting. I forget that we are in the Lenten seasons. I think the reason I am so often forgetting this is that I did not give anything up for Lent this season. I saw the whole “giving up” or even “taking on devotion pledges” as a falsity that shouldn’t only be a Lenten sacrifice but a life sacrifice. I was also being lackadaisical and lazy, careless, and rude to my King. So although I don’t necessarily agree on the whole group buy-in to pledge this transformation of sins/life under the title of a few weeks “Lent.” I feel like I have rebelled without a better alternative – and have instead lived unpleasingly to my King and regret it. I also feel like today or even tomorrow I will make no change in my life. I could take something on today. Or give some ode to my Prince. But instead a strange foreign and overwhelming lack of motivation and selfishness has seem to overcome the last few weeks of my life. It is a sad revelation. Perhaps I am infected with a demon, perhaps sloth (definitely sloth). Perhaps it is loneliness or frustration. Either way I should do something about it. As a Richmond student, as a strong follower of Christ, as the eldest, as someone people look up to, as a biggest, as a woman – I should be facing challenges in my life instead of letting them pass over me.
What is my problem?
Is it a lack of faith? Lack of God in my life? No, I cannot blame this on my savior but only myself. And perhaps poor planning. This is a lesson I must learn in life. That I have to make something of whatever comes along. And if it’s a free week in London then, albeit, I should be able to make something of it.
I need to keep my mind engaged. Downloading some news podcasts has helped my insolence a little but I need to stay connected to the world instead of swallowed by a dark apartment. (Gosh if my family and friends read this I feel like they would be so let down – I have built up this time so much –just like Carter said, if its not the “most fabulous time in my life that its supposed to be, then I just feel like a fake, a waste, a liar, a failure.” But I’m not, its not. I am learning things and growing but I can learn and grow more.
Pace. It’s all about keeping up the pace of life. I have learned an important lesson (#2) that the world doesn’t stop when I leave. Yes, the world at home is still whipping by. Bonnie’s engaged, Steph got her drivers license, Doris has a graduate school interview, everyone’s having a girls weekend in the quarter this weekend…now these things while I’m not wishing I was back in the states to be an immediate part of..its just a funny feeling to realize that I want to say to the world “hey wait! Don’t keep rolling. Spinning! You’re not allowed to go on without me!”
But that my be the spoiled little self centered princess within me. Perhaps.
Ok well “jessica’s life” – here I come!!
On to writing my journal, updating my blog, figuring out my budget, and my plans for the next week…oh yeah and life. I’m back.
So get ready to get exciting! (sometimes everybody needs a little pump up :)
Cheers to 2 life lessons come to realization today. Thanks Lord. Keep it up.
-Jessica
