Today, my team and another got to work in the hospital that's right across from where we're staying. We went in for a tour with Sally, who sometimes volunteers at the hospital often. There were a lot of us, so I'm sure it was pretty overwhelming for the patients who we got to see. But we got to talk to some of them, mostly children and their relatives, and find out why they were in the hospital. Some of the stories were pretty bad. Malnutrition was the main ailment, some probably beyond the point of help. Sally was very honest with us about the children's conditions, which was good in a lot of ways, but for many of us, it was a huge reality check.
I'm not sure if it was because of how much I've seen in other third world countries, or if it was something else, but I didn't feel overwhelmed with that reality. They were children, and if they were healed from malnutrition, would their lives really be better back at home? Or is it better for them to dance with their heavenly father? Thankfully, that is not my decision. That's God's, and he knows a whole lot more than I do. I learned the complexity of his intricate plan when it comes to healing and injustice a couple of years ago in Honduras. Sickness is always hard, and always heart-breaking. It is especially tragic where the resources are lacking. I have felt the helplessness that overwhelmed most of my teammates. It is good and probably necessary to realize God's supremacy. Having wrestled with that a couple of years ago, I heard God say, "There is so much that you don't understand. Trust me."
You see, we aren't really helpless. We have power. After returning from the hospital, I opened up to Luke 5:17-26. It tells the story of a paralytic whose friends were so desperate to get him to Jesus that they dug a hole in the roof of the house where Jesus was teaching and lowered him to the Savior's feet. When Jesus sees the man, he says, "Friend, your sins are forgiven." Seriously? The man can't walk. That's what is most glaringly obvious with him. So why did Jesus heal his heart first?
I think that when we are confronted with the sick and dying, we feel helpless because we don't have the training to help their physical illness. Jesus has the power to heal physically, but he also has the power to heal spiritually. Yes, a person's physical health is important, but I think that the most important thing we can do is tell that person about the Father's love for him or her. Jesus chooses to heal the paralytic's broken spirit before his broken body.
I think that we do have power. We have the most important information a person could receive. We have the words of life, life that lasts far beyond this broken world. So what do we do? We fight to get people to the feet of Jesus, and let him do the rest. We do whatever we can: carry them, dig a hole in the roof. We don't stop until they are there. That is a powerful gift. And it is more than enough.
