In His Eyes
For a bonus "Luke" blog, welcome a guest blogger, my wife, Cathy Ticen...
“When he saw Jesus, He cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice - “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him and though he was chained hand and foot and under guard, he had broken the chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places. Jesus asked - What is your name? Legion - he replied because many demons had gone into him. And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them into the abyss....the demons came out of the man and went into the pigs....When the people went out to see what happened, they found the man from who the demons had gone out of, sitting in his right mind at the feet of Jesus.....Jesus sent the man away saying “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over the town how much Jesus had done for him.” (Luke 8:26-39)
As I read these words, my heart reflects on the stories of countless people over the years who have entrusted me with a rare glimpse into their personal battles both in ministry and as a therapist. Mental illness and addiction are powerful forces that cripple lives without respect to age or social status.
One of the many things I love about Jesus is His heart of compassion for the broken. The Scriptures are filled with stories of Jesus entering the painful places and loving people back to life. Jesus was not worried about what other people thought about Him or how challenging the issues would be. He was not concerned about social norms or rules. It did not matter if the person was male or female, young or old, rich or poor, religious or non-religious, criminal or upstanding citizen, etc... If Jesus saw a need, He entered into the midst of it.
Luke 8:26-39 is a wonderful example of Jesus embracing and not walking away from brokenness. The man in this passage was tortured mentally to the point where he could not function. Even when restrained and supervised, he still fell deeper into darkness. He was in a great deal of pain on so many levels.
It is unclear what specific demons this man was dealing with, but it could have been anything that tortured his mind. Each of us battles our own personal “demons” although we often pretend they don’t exist. Addiction and mental health issues are exacerbated by staying in the shadows and not getting help. Some of that happens from shame and some comes from the reactions of people who just walk on by.
Those who share pain and struggles often find themselves cast aside or abandoned along the road because it a difficult journey. The mental health system is straining under the weight of more needs than can be managed by available providers, largely because people walk on by. Churches are on the front lines of more crisis situations than ever before as the broken desperately search for help. If it is hard to understand, messy, or not a socially acceptable situation to help with, the masses tend to find ways to detour around the broken much like happened in the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37.
God’s desire for us is different than that of the world. The call of Jesus is to have His heart. The same heart that is reflected in the parable of the Good Samaritan. The heart that sees a need and enters in to help even if it is messy and difficult.
The sad reality is that people are more likely to talk about how terrible a situation is or to video a traumatic event on their cell phones, than they are to enter in and help someone who is struggling. Thankfully Jesus is not like that with us! He will not abandon us in our brokenness. Instead He will take the narrow, more difficult path and walk through the valleys with us.
The wider road would be more comfortable but that is not the priority of Jesus. His heart was set on a transformed life that reaches out and invites others to come along on the journey. Jesus could have easily walked by as I would venture to guess many others had done over the years. Instead, He took the time to enter in and help the man. The result was a healed mind. His mind no longer was tortured but peaceful and in gratitude for His freedom, He worshiped. He couldn’t wait to share with others.
I wonder if this man found other broken people along the way and entered into their pain to offer help. Being loved back into life is contagious! When God’s love heals our hearts, the truest act of worship is to pass it on (II Corinthians 1:3-4). The opportunities for spreading His love in this way are endless for there is no shortage of brokenness in the world.
Sometimes the pleas for help are obvious and other times they are subtle. Whether the cry for help is clear or hidden, the love of Jesus breaks through even the most difficult of situations, bringing Luke 8:26-39 to life.
Sometimes this happens when we least expect it and such was the case with someone I once met along life’s journey. I encountered a person with a tortured mind. The person was so exhausted by pain and so tormented by thoughts, that death seemed to be the only answer. The person repeatedly begged me to shoot him. The person had tried to cause harm to others moments before, right before my eyes, and now was wanting to harm himself. The pain was palpable.
Some walked away. Some cowered in fear. Some passed judgment. But a few stepped forth to help. Although it was not wise from a safety perspective, God’s nudge was strong to draw near and to be a vessel of His love. Sharing God’s love with the hurting is incredibly powerful. Mental illness and addiction are very similar to leprosy in that people are often afraid to be near or to touch them (literally or figuratively) in any way. Those who struggle are often cast outside of the camp so to speak, much like lepers were kept outside of their villages and away from their loved ones as described in Leviticus 13:45. In typical Jesus-style, He did not let the fear of illness deter Him from helping. Matthew 8:3 shares how Jesus reached out and touched the leper. He helped even when it was unwise and He calls me to do the same.
Peace flooded my heart as I sat beside this person on the floor and watched God at work in this unexpected holy moment. The one who had been violent moments before became instantly calm. The storm held inside began to release as pain was poured out and the tears were allowed to flow freely down cheeks.
In a moment that could only be orchestrated by God, the person asked for a Bible. Locating one quickly, I placed it into the person’s hands and had a front row seat to watching a human heart open up. The person hugged the Bible, rocked back and forth and begged Jesus for help. I believe wholeheartedly that God did. God promises to be near to the broken-hearted. He promises that those who seek Him will be found. His presence brings a peace that passes all understanding and quiets troubled hearts and minds. I had a front row seat to watching that happen as he continued to hug the Bible, pray, and allow God’s peace to transform His heart.
Challenge: Be like Jesus and break beyond cultural norms/expectations to help those in need.
God’s desire for us is different than that of the world. The call of Jesus is to have His heart. The same heart that is reflected in the parable of the Good Samaritan. The heart that sees a need and enters in to help even if it is messy and difficult.
The sad reality is that people are more likely to talk about how terrible a situation is or to video a traumatic event on their cell phones, than they are to enter in and help someone who is struggling. Thankfully Jesus is not like that with us! He will not abandon us in our brokenness. Instead He will take the narrow, more difficult path and walk through the valleys with us.
The wider road would be more comfortable but that is not the priority of Jesus. His heart was set on a transformed life that reaches out and invites others to come along on the journey. Jesus could have easily walked by as I would venture to guess many others had done over the years. Instead, He took the time to enter in and help the man. The result was a healed mind. His mind no longer was tortured but peaceful and in gratitude for His freedom, He worshiped. He couldn’t wait to share with others.
I wonder if this man found other broken people along the way and entered into their pain to offer help. Being loved back into life is contagious! When God’s love heals our hearts, the truest act of worship is to pass it on (II Corinthians 1:3-4). The opportunities for spreading His love in this way are endless for there is no shortage of brokenness in the world.
Sometimes the pleas for help are obvious and other times they are subtle. Whether the cry for help is clear or hidden, the love of Jesus breaks through even the most difficult of situations, bringing Luke 8:26-39 to life.
Sometimes this happens when we least expect it and such was the case with someone I once met along life’s journey. I encountered a person with a tortured mind. The person was so exhausted by pain and so tormented by thoughts, that death seemed to be the only answer. The person repeatedly begged me to shoot him. The person had tried to cause harm to others moments before, right before my eyes, and now was wanting to harm himself. The pain was palpable.
Some walked away. Some cowered in fear. Some passed judgment. But a few stepped forth to help. Although it was not wise from a safety perspective, God’s nudge was strong to draw near and to be a vessel of His love. Sharing God’s love with the hurting is incredibly powerful. Mental illness and addiction are very similar to leprosy in that people are often afraid to be near or to touch them (literally or figuratively) in any way. Those who struggle are often cast outside of the camp so to speak, much like lepers were kept outside of their villages and away from their loved ones as described in Leviticus 13:45. In typical Jesus-style, He did not let the fear of illness deter Him from helping. Matthew 8:3 shares how Jesus reached out and touched the leper. He helped even when it was unwise and He calls me to do the same.
Peace flooded my heart as I sat beside this person on the floor and watched God at work in this unexpected holy moment. The one who had been violent moments before became instantly calm. The storm held inside began to release as pain was poured out and the tears were allowed to flow freely down cheeks.
In a moment that could only be orchestrated by God, the person asked for a Bible. Locating one quickly, I placed it into the person’s hands and had a front row seat to watching a human heart open up. The person hugged the Bible, rocked back and forth and begged Jesus for help. I believe wholeheartedly that God did. God promises to be near to the broken-hearted. He promises that those who seek Him will be found. His presence brings a peace that passes all understanding and quiets troubled hearts and minds. I had a front row seat to watching that happen as he continued to hug the Bible, pray, and allow God’s peace to transform His heart.
Challenge: Be like Jesus and break beyond cultural norms/expectations to help those in need.
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