“The painful thing is that when we buy into disapproval, we are practicing disapproval. When we buy into harshness, we are practicing harshness. The more we do it, the stronger these qualities become. How sad it is that we become so expert at causing harm to ourselves and others. The trick then is to practice gentleness and letting go. We can learn to meet whatever arises with curiosity and not make it such a big deal. Instead of struggling against the force of confusion, we could meet it and relax. When we do that, we gradually discover that clarity is always there.” (Pema Chodron. When Things Fall Apart (Shambhala Classics) (pp. 37-38). Shambhala. Kindle Edition.)

“And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. ²⁶ She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. ²⁷ When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, ²⁸ because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” ²⁹ Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. ³⁰ At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” ³¹ “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”

³² But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. ³³ Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. ³⁴ He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” (Mark 5:25-34)

Desperation is a nasty word. No one likes to reach the point of desperation. I have shared and preached about the time during my college years when I was working with a camp who provided beach vacations for people with disabilities. One of the activities we took the vacationers on was a trip on the bay in a wooden motorboat. In the middle of my last trip, I ran out of gas. I was stuck in the middle of the bay, with the tide going out, equipped with one oar, and two passengers in my boat. Needless to say, I was in a desperate situation.

So I started to do desperate things. And when they all failed, and I felt as if all hope of getting quick help had evaporated, desperation set in. In the middle of those desperate thoughts, I said out loud “If only I had my wallet to buy some gas.” It was in that moment that one of my passengers reached into his swimming suit and pulled out his wallet – meaning we could buy some gas and make it back to shore.

Pema Chodron writes: “Instead of struggling against the force of confusion, we could meet it and relax.” My experience that day in the middle of the bay taught me a valuable lesson – it was when I sat down, relaxed and spoke my reality that help came in the most unexpected place.

When the woman with the bleeding disorder spoke her reality to Jesus, it was then that Jesus blessed her and released her from her suffering. Of course, life is not always this immediate or clean. But if we do not speak our concerns to G-d or even to family or friends, we often miss out on opportunities for help that may come from unexpected places or people. Sometimes we just need to relax, take a moment, and meet our struggles head on, trusting that already G-d knows our desperation.

Pastor Dave

“It made me think of a Gary Larson cartoon I once saw. Two women are standing behind their locked door peeking out the window at a monster standing on their doorstep. One of the ladies is saying, “Calm down, Edna. Yes, it is a giant hideous insect, but it may be a giant hideous insect in need of help.” (Pema Chodron. When Things Fall Apart (Shambhala Classics) (p. 36). Shambhala. Kindle Edition.)

“A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” ³ Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. ⁴ Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” Matthew 8:2-4

How do you respond when you see someone standing by the exit of a mall or grocery store, holding a sign that says “Homeless, need food or work – anything will help”? Do you look the other way? Do you hand them a dollar? Do you stop and pray for them? Too often, when people encounter someone who is asking for help, they look at them like the creature on the women’s doorstep in the “Far Side” cartoon: like they are “A Giant Hideous Insect.”

As a pastor, I have heard many, many stories about the difficulties of life. I have had people stop at my church telling me their parents threw them out of the house; their car has run out of gas and they need to get to the next state; they have no job, three kids and no money for food; even they just got out of the hospital and have no place to stay. That is just a few of the stories I have heard – and it has taught me an important lesson — everyone has a story.

You and I are just one tragedy away from needing to share our story with an organization or a pastor or some social program. And when we do, do we want them to look at us with compassion? Or, do we want them to look at us like we are “A Giant Hideous Insect”?

Maybe we need to rethink how we view that person who is asking us for a handout…and ask the question “What would Jesus do?” As far as I can determine, Jesus never turned away from someone in need – so why should we? I have often said: We must serve the greedy if we are to serve the needy.

Pastor Dave