Today our paragraph topic is: (A leper) Part 2.
We continue our topic today with the second part of this discussion of A Leper. As I reflect upon the topic, it could just as easily been, A Hooker, or An Addict, or, A John, or A Pornographer, or A Sinner, or A person with AIDS, or A person with Cancer, or anything that takes us to depths of despair where we are hopeless without any sign of help. This is a powerful topic for us today because it applies to all, no matter what condition we find ourselves in. It could be at home with our families, at work with our co-workers, at work with our supervisors or managers or our company. It could be with our position in life and the feeling of hopelessness of being trapped without having some solution. It could be in our relationships with our parents, our friends, our love ones, even our children who have gone astray. It could be with our physical health and the sickness that we face not knowing the certainty of where we will be in the future, health wise. It could be with any and all situations that we face in life where we are out of control and have a sense of hopelessness. "Lord, if thou wilt."
Christ in his overflowing love for us stretches forth his hand and touches us, just as he touched the leper and says: "I will; be thou made clean." We are blessed with his love and instantly we are healed. Addicts are cured instantly of their addiction never to return to using. Sickness is banished from the body leaving the person cleansed and whole, baffling the medical community as to how the cure came about. Hookers are made whole never to return to the streets again, now having a love for God and not for man. The desire for pornography is removed from the mind allowing the person to be cleansed of the spirit of lust and now to lead a spirit filled life. "Lord, if thou wilt."
There is so much in our lives today that need the healing hand of Christ. And all we have to do is ask him, if he will heal us. All we have to do is believe that he loves us. All we have to do is open our hearts to him. It may be difficult for those who have not experienced pain or suffering or a behavior that we did not like, that kept us in a trapped lifestyle. It may be difficult for those who have money, who have options, who have a good job, who have great relationships, to perceive the pain and anguish that one goes through when trapped in the world without an option. It may be hard for one to understand the compulsion that drives one to do the things that are against one's own desire to change, telling oneself that we have control and we will just do this one more time. And that one more time creates a spiral that leads down and down to our destruction. It may be difficult to comprehend, until one goes through the cycle of destruction, how deeply one has fallen into the pit of damnation and the depths of despair one has reached.
Christ is our redeemer. Christ is our healer. Christ is our savior. He can reach into the pit and retrieve us from damnation. He can bring us back from the abyss. He can remove all curses of evil upon us. He can cleans our bodies from all sickness. He can do all things if we let him. In our darkest days of despair, if we open our hearts to him and ask for his help, he will come. In our moments of need he can be our comforter. In our times of pain ans suffering, physically, mentally and spiritually, he can be our salvation. Let us not forsake him for the world. Let us not reason with our minds that we know the answers. Let us not close the door to our hearts and mock those who believe. For one day your time of need will come and who will you call upon. "Lord, if thou wilt." And Christ said: "I will".
