Connected and Reconnected

They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. (Mark 8:22-25)

We don't know why Jesus made him walk out of town with him. Maybe it was so he would begin to trust Jesus a little by walking with him for a while; learning to depend on him to bring him safely to the place he needed to be. We don't know why the first application of mud didn't do the trick. Maybe it was because Jesus knew something about this man, or those who were looking on that day, which made him take that time in order to help others around him come to a greater place of trust and faith. We may not know the reason for the delay in our 'total healing' in some of those areas where we seem to be blind to any form of light. When we make frequent and purposeful connection with Jesus, we can count on our healing to come. When it does, we need to celebrate it with those who had the faith to bring our need to Jesus in the first place!

It isn't until we reach out and take the hand extended to us that our journey toward healing can begin. It is a starting point. We might want immediacy, but Jesus wants connection. We can imagine Jesus walking this man past one obstacle and then another, until he finally has him right where he wants him to be in order to receive his ultimate healing. We might not recognize the obstacles we are avoiding along the way, but with the navigation of our Savior, we are sure to get to our destination. We want the conventional, but Jesus is not afraid to use the unconventional means to do what needs to be done. I am not sure if I would have been all that excited about mud made from spit being placed on my eyes, but I do know God has used some pretty "unconventional" means by which he has opened my eyes to the reality of who he is in my life. I don't want us to count on the "tried and true" as being the only "way" God works within us - he may go about bringing healing into our lives by some pretty "odd" means. Our part is to remain open to the possibilities of what he is accomplishing by his touch.

There were multiple points of "connection" with Jesus in order for this man to realize his full healing. He gained a little hope with the first "mud" application - but he gained much more with each repeated touch from the Savior. It is this frequency of connection which brings us to a place where we "open our eyes wide" so we can see fully what he has been accomplishing not only in us, but around us. The blind man depended on others to help him find his way, and as his healing began, he still didn't have perfect clarity. We often don't realize fully what God is doing in us, but it is that repeated connection with him coupled with our willingness to do as he says that brings us to the place of complete deliverance in our lives. Just sayin!