Prophets and Pearls

But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” Now he could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. Mark 6:4-6 NKJV

“It’s not the parts of the Bible I don’t understand that bother me, it’s the part I do understand.” Mark Twain

Familiarity. We want to reach and help our closest relatives. Jesus did too. Most of his family thought he was, for lack of a better word, unbalanced at best. We know Jesus’ life was threatened many times. The people we love the most may reject God. It feels like they reject you and, in a way, it is rejection of you. They know our hot buttons, how to create chaos, our deeply embedded flaws, turn the tables and we freeze. We feel like failures. Where’s our courage? Where’s our love? Where’s our trust? We’ve been wounded and still need healing ourselves. Maybe we feel like we cast our pearls and we were torn apart. Maybe we were.

What can we do? Detach in love. Go about your business and God’s business. Pray for our family members. If they need food, give it to them. If they need companionship, sit with them. Do this for your Father and you won’t feel resentment. He sees. He loves. All.

Sometimes it’s another that will reach your loved one. That happened to me with my husband. It was a dear friend of his and a book, Evidence that Demands a Verdict, that turned his heart. Look and pray for an opportunity for those that sincerely want an answer, want healing, want something greater than themselves.

Musings

We Black Sheep/Scapegoat types are so aware of our sins and faults; we don’t risk sharing our hope with another. Sometimes that’s good. We need to be right with our Father and the healing he brings. Usually, we help most when our relationship with our father, ourselves and the others we meet are the foundation for sharing our faith. We are encouraged by others and Bible characters that did wonderful and miraculous things, while still being a flawed human being. And sometimes we “put the oxygen mask on ourselves first.”

Jesus was the only one who was perfect. He was still rejected. It’s part of the deal here on Earth. But he gently heals us through the Holy Spirit, the Word, others and prayer. It worked then. It works now because he is the same yesterday, today and in the future.

Prayer

Dear Father,

Thank you that even the sparrow is noticed by you. Thank you for looking after our dear family members, friends and co-workers. Help us to remember it is a partnership with you when speaking and helping our loved ones. Help us to remember you love them more than we ever could. You love us more than they ever could. That’s our confidence. That’s our hope.

Amen.