“Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.” Matthew 10:8

I was a sickly kid. It felt like I was constantly diagnosed with something. I can’t eat peaches to this day because I associate eating them with being sick. (I would have canned peaches every time I got strep throat because they were easy to swallow…) As an adult, I look back at my childhood and remember the healing powers of my mom more than any medicine.

She would cuddle me to her, buy me a present or rent a movie when she went to pick up my meds, and always held my sadness. My mom freely gave me all of her healing love. I didn’t have to beg (although I may call and beg for her to drive to me now that I’m an adult…) for her to do everything in her power to help me get well. But Lord, was I thankful she did. 
I’ve thought about the words of Matthew a lot this week. We are called as brothers and sisters to cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons in the name of Jesus because we are meant to share what we were freely given. These actions are not simple. They require us to step outside of ourselves and our comfort zones. And that can really suck sometimes.

I’m a scaredy cat. I fear rejection and failure more than anything else in this world. What if I asked to help someone and they rejected me or thought I was crazy? Lashed out in anger or fear? Or even worse yet, what happens if they accept my prayer and they are not healed. The best news of all–what happens or doesn’t happen isn’t up to you. It’s entirely of God.

God calls us to do good work. To act. To love. To heal. We are messengers of God’s love for others. We are not Jesus, but we accept that He has the power to work through us. He invades impossible situations through us, through people who have received his power and release it for the good of others.

We have been empowered by God to heal the sick, not just to pray for them. We just lack the boldness to act. I encourage you to see the power in proclaiming God’s dominion over us all.

Father God, you gave us authority as your sons and daughters. Remind us of our responsibility to love and care for others, to proclaim your goodness, and heal the sick. Help us to be bold in our love for you. Allow us to be vessels of heaven on earth.