Watching the scales fall

One of the coolest things about a spiritual walk is that it is a journey to wholeness – no question.

I read recently that Jesus did two things primarily: he preached and healed, preached and healed. In reading his preaching (the Bible), the end result is that we are being healed on many levels. Change and new venues of personal growth will open up once you realize you are not alone on this journey. God will place beautiful souls (mentors) to walk along side you to share experiences and further you on your way to wholeness.

This all begins with our baptism. Baptism itself is symbolic of new life. We are submerged or washed clean symbolically through the waters of baptism. We are given a whole new life in following Christ. From then on, it is all about spiritual (his preaching) and emotional growth (our healing).

St. Paul being blinded and thrown off his horse when he was persecuting the church is a perfect example of growth and change of direction. As the story goes, after being blind for three days he was baptized and given a mission to convert many to Christianity.

This is what Jesus told Paul about you and me in Acts 26:17-18: “I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”

I heard at a recent retreat we should never flee from the dark times in our life, but stick around long enough to learn what those times are teaching us. When filled with despair, we come face to face with our own mortality, brokenness or losses and are pushed to our limits. This is when we are fertile ground for re-evaluating our lives, breaking way to new perspectives and wonderful personal growth. It just feels really bad!

Isn’t that why Jesus came in the first place, to make all things new (Rev 25:1)? If we follow him and give him permission to be part of our lives, all things are new. Just like Paul we discover our sight.

The scales that have kept us in darkness begin to drop from our eyes. Our perspectives change, and we become filled with his light. We see our broken places in the brilliance of his love, and we have an opportunity to be healed and grow in his sweet grace through his word.

It makes you realize that God didn’t stop creating on the sixth day. Oh no. He is forever creating through us, changing our direction and softening our hearts, giving us a new understanding and growing us up in his grace and healing our brokenness. And that is why faith matters!

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Cor 5:17)