You're Worth It

Any time someone in my family would get up from the dinner table to get something they forgot -- a napkin, a fork, their glass of water, etc. -- it would be habit for someone else to ask them to get something "while you're up!"

While you're up, can you grab me a glass of wine?
While you're up, can you bring the bread over?
While you're up, can you take out the trash?

It sounds kind of obnoxious as I type it out, but it's totally something I'm in the habit of now! 

For some reason, I thought of this as I was reading the Gospel of Matthew this morning during my prayer time. 

I imagined myself as the hemorrhaging woman, so frustrated and sad about my life and my circumstances. Twelve years this has been going on, and I am feeling so helpless.

I see Jesus get up as He's on His way to help someone else out. While He's up, I might as well get some healing from Him, too. It shouldn't be too much trouble for Him, since He's up and at 'em anyway, right? I won't be too much of a bother. 

I reach out to touch His cloak, helpless and just wanting to touch this Man who all the others have been talking about. He won't even know I'm here, since I'm invisible to everyone anyway.

But Jesus doesn't let me get away with this.

He doesn't let me get away with just asking Him for healing while He's on the way to someone else. He doesn't just keep moving while He's on to more important matters or people. He stops to see me. He stops to notice me.

He turns around from where He was going to look straight at me. He sees me. 

I am invisible to all the others, the woman who suffers and cannot be helped.

But He turns. And He sees me.

He gives me value. He tells me I am important. Even on the journey to heal others, Jesus sees me as well. He even talks to me, "Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you." (Mt 9:22)

My faith? This little faith of mine that just wanted a piece of His glory, He says this faith has saved me.

By His looking at me, observing me, noticing me, I realize my importance. I realize my value. I realize that even if He hadn't been on the way to heal others, He would have made the trip just for me.

If I had asked Him for healing, He would have looked at me, seen me, and healed me. He would make a special trip just for me. 

I don't need to wait until He's on the way to more important tasks or more important people, I can ask Him right now. I'm important to Him. I'm worth the trip. 

You're worth the trip.

We don't have to wait to ask our God to heal us, to move in us, to save us from what we're going through, we can ask Him right now.

He will stop to see you. He will stop to see me. He's not too busy. He's not more concerned with others than He is with you.

All it takes is for us to ask. 

And He will assure us, time and time again, "Your faith has saved you."