Have you ever felt super awkward or uncomfortable going into a place (even if you’ve been there before)? Like entering a room, where everyone else seems to already know each other and suddenly it feels like: ALL EYES ARE ON YOU
A couple of things to notice about this woman:
She was unclean.
Given her condition, she would have likely been tired and weak, physically.
The length of her suffering would have left her emotionally tired and lonely.
Imagine how she must have felt.
She was hoping to go unnoticed and still receive the healing that she knew only Jesus provides. The worst-case scenario for her happens. She doesn’t get to go unnoticed. All eyes were on her. She knows that she’s not supposed to be in close contact with people, so that she doesn’t make them unclean, can you imagine how uncomfortable she must have felt when she was called out. In her fear (and perhaps shame) she confessed her act: explaining why she had done it and reporting her healing – I read this and immediately it hit me: she had to give her testimony right then and there!
How many of us are afraid, ashamed, or embarrassed to tell our own story? To share our testimony? Because we are ashamed of who we use to be when we were unclean. Because we have to say, out loud, what we went through. So instead of sharing that story, we let our own feelings of awkwardness and shame stop us from talking about what we overcame.
He has already called us out of the crowd. He has called us daughter. Maybe you came in here feeling awkward, like you don’t know enough about the Bible, or everyone here seems to already have close bonds, or you’re physically struggling health wise, maybe you feel too young, or you feel too old, maybe you’re fighting relationship problems and you feel like everyone else has great relationship, or your deep in motherhood and you can’t remember how to have adult conversations, whatever you brought in with you, He has eyes on you.
So, what makes this awkward?
She hadn’t been invited.
She was openly weeping.
I almost want to call her story “it should have been awkward”, because awkward or not, she didn’t care. Here is the beautiful thing about her, she didn’t care that her weeping was loud or distracting for others. It wasn’t about them. It wasn’t even about her. She was focused on one thing: Worshipping Jesus.
What are you letting hold you back from worshipping Him? Are you worshipping Him with all you have? Are you uninhibited in your worship?
This woman’s worship was the loving evidence of forgiveness. She had been forgiven. And her response to that forgiveness was unashamed worship at His feet.
Seeing the friends’ faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven”. Here’s the thing, their faith couldn’t save him. Their faith couldn’t heal him. No one is saved by proxy; however, God honors the faith of those who assist in the salvation process.
So, what does that mean for us? It means, even if it’s awkward, we can assist in salvation by helping our friends. We can carry the corner of the mat for our friends. How?
Praying for them
Relating to them
Answering questions
Showing Christ’s love
That takes time, hard work, heavy work, awkwardly hauling your friends to higher locations. Are you doing that? Even if it feels uncomfortable.
Think about any time you’ve allowed awkwardness or social norms to keep you from getting to Jesus, worshipping Jesus, or bringing your friend to Jesus. Now, do one thing this week that makes you feel uncomfortable, but it will help stretch and grow your faith.