Out of Options

To some of us we did not find our faith until we were Out of Options, deep in our addiction, lost in a sea of problems or buried in the depth of debt. Nothing, I mean nothing was working that we tried, it only took us deeper into the struggle.

There was a woman mentioned in Mark 5:25-34 who was at this point. For twelve years she had struggled with an issue of blood which remains undefined by scholars as to exactly what that meant. In any regard it was a serious enough issue that she had spent all her money on doctors, and it says instead of getting better, she got worse. Sound familiar?

So, in her desperation, and truly out of options, she came to join the crowd following Jesus to see if this miracle worker could cure her. Her thoughts were "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed". As far as I can tell this is the only person in Jesus ministry that thought she would be healed by touching his clothes. She was desperate and again, out of options, but in this case she found there was indeed, another unused option.

We desperate ones who are healed by this enormous power need to remember this one important fact, Jesus said to her "Your faith has healed you, go in peace and be freed from your suffering." Being freed carries with it the responsibility to show others how to get this same freedom, it is written in the scriptures, it is written as a Twelfth Step. We stay out of suffering by showing others that they too don't have to suffer. Not by our power, but by his.

Because when we are Out of Options he is the only remaining source of healing that won't get worse, only better. "So much better his way!" (From the song Defender.)