Withered Hands, Withered Hearts

Why haven’t you asked Me to heal this? The Lord prodded my heart as I reflected on the particular physical suffering He brought to my mind.

Admittedly, I was a little taken aback. The suffering He referenced wasn’t my greatest suffering or biggest intention which is why I hadn’t thought to bring it to Him. I was handling it. It was fine. Nothing major. I told Jesus that it wasn’t bothering me too much (it was) and that there were more pressing needs for healing in the lives of those I love.

I wish I had the faith of the man with the withered hand from today’s Gospel. Jesus beckoned him to stretch out his hand, and he immediately obeyed. How many times do I delay when God asks me to stretch out my hand?

When I put myself in the man’s shoes, I can hear my own response:

“I still have use of my left hand.”

“See that person inflicted with leprosy? They need healing more than I do.”

“It’s not worth your time, Lord. I’ve learned to live with this. I’m fine!”

Jesus isn’t fooled or deterred by my flimsy and prideful excuses. He continues to show me that there’s no balancing scale when it comes to what weighs on us. He wants to bear it all with us. Our perspectives are limited because there is only so much we can hold in our hearts and lives.

But God can hold it all.

Jesus knows us (from the Alleluia). He knows how heavy our burdens feel, even if we feel silly in struggling to bear them. In the Gospel, Jesus compared healing this man’s hand with saving his life because He knew how deep and tender this suffering was to the man. (See Luke 6:8.) And He knows the same about us.

When we stretch out our hands in faith, we offer our whole selves to His mercy. We pour out our hearts before Him. (See Psalm 62:9.) We know that He makes our cares His own and that He came to save every part of our lives.

God can hold it all. // @to_the_heightsClick to tweet

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Olivia Spears lives in Kentucky where the sweet tea and bourbon flow like milk and honey. She is the Blog Manager for Blessed is She and works from home as an editor and social media manager. She likes to binge novels and Netflix while raising her children and laughing with her husband. She is a contributing author to our children's devotional prayer book, Rise Up. You can find out more about her here.