SHARING THE HOPE OF JESUS

I'm writing for Five Minute Friday and this week's prompt word is DECIDE.  

This week, I listened to a lady describe the heartache of watching her partner, with recently-diagnosed Complex PTSD, sabotage all his long term relationships, including theirs, of how he's hiding away because of fear and shame, having overpowering flashbacks, disassociation, 'overreacting' to powerful triggers, unable to hold down a job, long-term physical ailments, and more.   

These are all things that I have experienced and done myself for years.    I'm so glad I didn't have a name for it or do the research on it because it's quite depressing.   The timing of having a name for it is quite profound.  More on that in another post, maybe.  

This lady is heartbroken about her partner's condition, and has spent months researching and trying to understand it so she can help him.   After years of therapy he's feeling pretty helpless and hopeless, and that he can only 'manage' his symptoms and hope for the best.   

It's not enough.   I was really frustrated for him and for her that they have been told to 'manage it and hope for the best'.    They're not Christians and have tried everything but God.    

As I sat there and listened, I had to decide whether or not to get more involved in the conversation.    

I'm a Christian and I knew that she isn't and that one of the other mums, her close friend, is quite antsy about us talking about God in our meetings.   I don't know either of them particularly well and they don't really know me.   

So I had to decide if I was going to share the hope I have in Jesus, and the answers I've found to all of the symptoms of this debilitating condition that he has.   It IS a condition. It's not imagined.  It's real enough.  And it's been caused by childhood trauma that he had no control over - an abusive, physically violent father, who would turn up without notice, and damage everyone, and an emotionally unavailable and unprotective mother.   He had no safe place, so it's no wonder he is constantly fearful and being triggered.   He has no safe place now, and his partner  wants to be that for him, but recognises he needs more than her.  

So, I decided to share my story, the basic details of my childhood trauma and how I've had every single one of those symptoms and how I'm getting healed.   I could see her friend squirming, but she herself was all ears.   I explained how I've been able to work through each trigger and how God has healed it through good counsel and prayer.   

She hung onto every word like one who was being thrown a lifeline.  

She later thanked me for sharing and appreciated that I will be praying for her and her partner.   And I will.

It made me think about another debilitating condition back in Jesus' day - leprosy.   I read the story of the ten lepers.   And I got to wondering - what made the Samaritan leper decide to return to Jesus and fall at His feet?   

He didn't have to.  He was healed.   He was set free to get on with his life again, no doubt go back to his family and his job and his community.  It was a huge, life-changing victory, a 'suddenly' that God loves to specialise in.   

So, what made him decide to go back and speak to Jesus?    Was it something He said, was it the way He said it, was it a look, or a nuance?  Was it just Jesus Himself?    Was it gratitude or a realisation that there was more to this man, Jesus, than just being a healer.   

I realised in reading that story that we all have to decide what we're going to do in response to Jesus' touch in our lives.   We can walk on, get on with our lives, with gratitude, yes, but just move on and get on with it - 'our' lives.   

Or we can decide, like the tenth leper, that we actually want more than just the freedoms that everyone else takes for granted.   We actually want Him. 

This man, partner of the homeschool mum, needs more than he's being offered.  I will keep praying that he meets this Jesus and not only gets healed, but decides he wants the Healer as well as the healing.

https://www.freebibleimages.org/illustrations/jesus-ten-leprosy/

Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God,  and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.

So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”   Luke 17:11-19

I believe You're my healer

I believe You are all I need

I believe

And I believe You're my portion

I believe You're more than enough for me

Jesus You're all I need

You hold my very moment

You calm my raging seas

You walk with me through fire

And heal all my disease

I trust in You, Lord I trust in You