The Master Healer

Over 2,000 years ago, on a bright, warm Middle Eastern afternoon, the Savior of the world walked beside the clear water of a public pool, the pool of Bethesda. With gentle, steady hands, he softly rubbed sticky clay against the eyes of a humble beggar, a child of God who had been stumbling through the world in darkness.

Perhaps steadied by the loving arm of Christ, the blind beggar crept to the edge of the pool and washed the sticky clay from his face. Slowly, anxiously, he must have blinked against the emerging lights, colors, and finally distinct shapes that sharpened in his view. I imagine him frozen in awe at the spectacle of the pool he thought he had known so well, his perspective perfect and fraught with joy. Turning where he was, gaze eagerly searching for the responsible individual, the eyes of this dear, humble beggar would have been caught by the warm, understanding face of our beloved Savior, the master healer.

One of the most tender attributes of Christ is His ability to heal.

Healing; what an extraordinary word. To make right again, to repair, to restore. I am in complete awe of how fully and completely God exercises this ability in our lives.

I remember an experience I had joint-teaching with the LDS missionaries with striking clarity. When I was 15 years old, the missionaries asked if my dad and I would accompany them to visit a young girl in inner-city Minneapolis. She was about my age. When we got out of the car in the Minneapolis ghetto, I felt nervous as we approached a battered, white home in complete disarray. We waited out on the porch by a couple of broken cement stairs, the sounds of shouting and blasting television emanating from the windows. It was quite obviously a crack house. Before long, a withdrawn, dis-shelved girl with brown, shoulder-length hair and battered clothing came out to meet us. Life had clearly been rough to her. Her features were tired, hollow, and riddled with suffering. I recall feeling this overwhelming surge of love and compassion for her as we taught her about how the Savior knows and deeply loves her. We taught her that He is 'her' Savior and that He understands every pain she may have experienced in her life. As I bore my personal testimony to her, I felt this deep sense of connection to this beautiful girl not much older than myself. My testimony came with additional power and conviction because I could feel how completely the truths I knew with my whole being could lift, bless, and heal her tender soul. I wanted, with all my heart, to show her how completely and fully God could heal her. I don't remember her name anymore, nor what became of her interactions with the missionaries. But, I DO remember what I felt as sunset fell on the chipped, white paint of the crack house and I sat on those broken cement steps and connected with another wounded soul.

I have had the opportunity to overcome a number of trials in my short life. Such experiences have sometimes left me feeling discouraged and alone. But God is the conductor of the great symphony of events, peoples, nations, and even human hearts. When He calls for the deepest reaches of the base note, He always beckons for the pure ring of the violas. I have been nothing less than absolutely stunned at what changes God has worked in and through me. As I cling to Him, I feel the steadiness, the direction, the quiet smile that seems to tell me, "Just wait, hold on... just wait to see what I have in store for you".

This year some of my challenges have been new, more subtle. I crave the healing of my beloved Savior. After two remarkable but intense semesters, I ache for the loving arms that hold perfect love and perfect peace. I also understand that complete healing comes in God's time and through God's means.

Jerusalem is becoming ever more real to me. Jerusalem is more than one of the most religious and culturally rich cities in the world. Jerusalem, to me, represents a sacred space, a holy corner of the world where God can teach me, open my eyes of understanding, and heal some of the more tender regions of my human heart. I am eager to become acquainted with this land that has emerged from pain, destruction, and bloodshed and known the open face and gentle words of the Son of God. Jerusalem, just like me, will be healed someday. We will be perfect....and glorious.

I feel overwhelmed by the love of an elder brother who can spiritually, emotionally, and physically heal me. A brother who sees my full potential and will patiently show me that potential 'line upon line' despite all my fears and doubts. We must never forget how adored we are by heaven.

I know someday, like the humble beggar, I too will see clearly the life I thought I knew so well. The purposes, the faces, the light and darkness in every corner of my life will be shown to me in a new way. I will "see things as they really are" when my spiritual eyes are altered under the gentle hands of the master healer.

Here's to finding joy in the journey!