Healing
This Healing Moment is based on Psalm 139. Here King David describes how God made and shaped him as a unique creation. He knew that every human being is an amazing creation. That includes you! Health and wholeness is God's desire for all of humanity. Wholeness or well being is rooted in God's love for humanity. God wants everyone to experience health and wholeness in every area of their lives, spirit, body, mind (emotions), and relationships.
When everything in our lives and in our bodies is working as it should, we say we are "whole." A very important part of being a whole person, though, is to accept who we are. For some people that is not as easy as it sounds. Some of us have a hard time accepting ourselves as we are--as God created us. Some people think they are too tall or too short, too fat or too skinny, too smart or too dumb, and so on.
But being a whole person does not mean being perfect. Wholeness is not an absence of brokenness. Everyone is created by God to be just that person, wonderful and unique. That includes even those persons who look different because they were born without some of their body parts or who were born with some sort of abnormality.
Let me tell you about Jeff Steinberg. Although Jeff was born without fully developed arms and legs, he is a whole person in the truest sense. Wholeness is not an absence of diseases. Jeff is a dynamic Christian and a gifted professional singer. His song "I Am a Masterpiece in Process" celebrates who he is and whose he is. He is a whole person who happens to have a body that is different from most other people's bodies. Like each snowflake, Jeff has a one-of-a-kind body. So do you. Jeff gives thanks for his creation. He loves God and he also loves himself. He knows that no matter how we look we are made in the image of God. Jeff gives thanks and celebrates the body that God gave him, because he knows and feels loved and affirmed by his Creator. When you accept and love yourself the way God does, you will be fully alive and fully whole and fully appreciate your uniqueness. His outward appearance does not make him wonderful. What makes every person a wonder is that he or she is made in the image of God! To learn more about Jeff, you may go to his website at www.tinygiant.com.
Jesus knew that to be fully alive and fully whole, we must live lives of love. This means loving God, our neighbors, and ourselves. Today we will hear about two men Jesus healed. These stories tell us some important truths about God's love.
Another story tells us about Jesus' encounter with a person who had leprosy. Leprosy was considered highly infectious. People who had it were "unclean" and they could not live with people who did not have the disease. When they saw other people approaching, they had to cry out, "Unclean, unclean," so that other persons nearby, could avoid them. They could not work. They had to depend on the help and mercy of their families for their needs of food, water, and upkeep. Often they were neglected and left to beg for food and resources they needed to live on day
by day.
Jesus shows us what God's love for us is like. Even though the leper was considered unclean and unlovable, Jesus had compassion for him and healed him. God loves each of us just as we are. God created each one of us to be wonderful, and God loves us.
Being a whole person involves our bodies, our minds, our spirits, and our relationships with others. This is what makes us healthy. To maintain well being we must choose lifestyles that promote health. Wholeness is a life-long process. Our wholeness springs from our spirituality. That is, wholeness-nurturing spirituality suggests that we enjoy a healthy and vibrant intimacy with God. A healthy spiritual life is infectious, influencing health in our body, mind, and relationships. Psalm 32:1-4 expresses how lack of spiritual health can influence the body-mind connection.
If we want to enjoy wellness and a transformed life, we must cultivate a renewed mind; according to the apostle Paul. We do that by not conforming to the pattern of this world. We are to seek after those things that are good, righteous, and are the perfect will of God (Romans 12:2). We are to have a healthy perspective of who we are and not look down on others (Romans 12:3). When we do those things, God will keep our minds in perfect peace.
The late, Dr. Howard Clinebell,wrote in his book, Well Being, researchers have clearly established the body-mind connection. They are interdependent, one affecting the other. A healthy, strong and energized body lays a foundation for the nurture and well being of the mind and vise versa. When we enjoy loving relationships, a healthy mind-body connection, and our spiritual roots grow deep in the life-giving Spirit of God, we experience the abundant life Jesus Christ came to bring to humankind.
Being fearfully and wonderfully made means that we enjoy well being in every aspect of life: spirit, body, mind, and in our social context. Why? Although we are made up of many parts, we are a unity. This has been God's design from the beginning of creation. Let us continue to celebrate God's fearfully and wonderfully creation and enhance our well being in every dimension of our humanity: spirit, body, mind, and relationships. All human wholeness flows outward from our spiritual-center (1 Thessalonians 5:23).
Most of this content was taken from my children's book, Getting Well, A Study for Children About Spiritual and Physical Healing. This book has many creative, fun, and Bible-base activities for the children to complete, to help reinforce their learning.
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