She said to herself, "If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured."
Jesus turned around and saw her, and said,
"Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you." // Matthew 9:21-22
I lay in bed, letting my mind explore the thought to which I had awoken. The light of early summer already illuminated the room and the smell of my husband's coffee drifted up the stairs to the quiet sanctuary of my bed. I am not bold by nature, and once again the Lord was calling me interiorly into the unknown. In His gentle way, He was inviting me out of the routine, the safety, the normal, to do something uncomfortable.
As a psychologist, I know that we are in a constant state of equilibrium and disequilibrium. The disequilibrium or cognitive conflict causes us to shift, adapt, and grow as we strive to recalibrate our lives to new situations. Even with this knowledge, I remain attached to my comfort. Adventure or newness isn't something I seek. Meeting new people gives me genuine anxiety. I order the same thing each time at a restaurant. When I find a new author, I want to read everything she or he has written before moving on to someone else. I love living in the known.
But repeatedly the Lord calls us into the unknown. He invites each one to show courage and trust in Him. Some of us wait to put our trust in Him until we have no other options. We exhaust every option and only turn to Him once we have nowhere else to turn.
Sister, how might we live with greater faith and courage each day, like the woman in today’s Gospel (see Matthew 9:18-26)? Sit with the Lord in silence today, reach out to His cloak, and ask Him to show you an area where you can love Him more courageously, be uncomfortable, and open yourself to deepen your gift of faith.
Dr. Mary Ruth Hackett is a writer, national speaker, and podcast host covering topics in psychology and faith. She holds a PhD in Educational Psychology and works at the important intersection of faith and developmental science, blending them in the original harmony God intended. Dr. Mary Ruth is the author of Daughter by Design: Discovering Your Identity as God's Beloved Daughter, and co-coauthor of Spiritual Discernment for Beginners: Learning to Hear God and Defeat the Lies of the Enemy. She is a contributing author to All She Had and our children’s devotional prayer book called Rise Up. Find out more about her here.
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