The Interruption You Don’t Want to Miss
Is survival mode and just barely getting by all you’ve known?
Do you think your life is an inconvenience or interruption to the people around you? Do you wonder why you are here or why you’re still alive after some of the things that have happened to you? Have people spoken untruths about your worth and dignity by demeaning your value or purpose in this world?
Your worth, your value, and your dignity are where shame like to do its greatest damage.
Shame always causes a loss of dignity in ourselves or others.
Our reaction to that devaluing can lead to lots of emotions and even prideful or narcissistic actions to compensate. But that’s another conversation for another time. So we will continue our chat about the subtleties of shame, but first, I’d like to interrupt the conversation for just a second to introduce you to someone special. Someone you really need to get to know.
As I mentioned before, shame is a new discovery for me but the ah-ha moment came when I was reintroduced to a woman who overcame her battle with shame and showed the courageous curiosity to step out of her comfort zone – culturally, religiously, emotionally, and relationally and to find her authentic self and true identity – as a daughter.
It’s important to understand that this woman’s story is found smack dab in the middle of another family’s crisis – someone seemingly much more important as far as culture was concerned – but she seized the opportunity to be in the presence of a true Healer.
She’s an interruption to everyone but Jesus.
Suffering for over a decade from a chronic bleeding problem, this woman sought care from doctors – many doctors – and exhausted everything she had but was no better off. She actually got worse. Plus, the very same systems she relied on for healing were causing her even more suffering.
Because her problems were messy and caused embarrassment, people avoided her. Her very presence in public could produce strong, even violent negative reactions from others. Sadly, she was cut off from her family, friends, and even her spiritual community.
This woman heard about a Healer who was coming to town. Others had received healing. She was curious. Why not her, she thought to herself? But she’d have to go out into public and risk the social and religious consequences, which could be severe. She courageously decided to come out of her isolation and shame, out into the crowd, and come up behind Jesus – not face to face – to touch the tassel of his robe. https://www.biblestudytools.com/nlt/mark/5-28.html
She touched Jesus, and she instantly knew she was healed.
She hoped to slip back into the crowd unnoticed. But, instead, Jesus noticed her. He invited her to tell the whole truth and then declared her well because of her faith.
This woman is the only woman Jesus called DAUGHTER in the Bible.
Back in May 2014, my daughter Megan tearfully waved goodbye to me, knowing I wasn’t well. While leading a group of women in Jacksonville, FL, pursuing deeper faith, she felt prompted to call her team ‘Team Made Well’ after the Bible story of the bleeding woman in Mark 5. Little did we both realize God was speaking “Made Well” into my future even while I was about to enter the most critical part of my health battle.
Shame still wanted to silence this story, but the whole truth needed to be told.
I am now called DAUGHTER – a Woman Made Well of this generation.
It’s a story God wants to repeat in your life and the lives of His future DAUGHTERS all over the world.
