Wholeness
I forget where I was or who I was talking with but I remember some dialogue about people being "broken." Someone said, with wisdom I think, that all people have a hole, a gap, a disease, a weakness, a behavior or something that keeps them from being completely healed by God- all people are broken. I also believe that down deep (it's not always obvious) that broken people want to be healed; many want to be "made whole" again.
So what is complete healing; what is the "wholeness" that God offers to each of us? And what does achieving genuine wholeness require of me? Can I be totally healed by God without my participation in the healing process?
Jesus' story of the grateful leper (Luke 17) points to a much-needed step to healing and wholeness. Jesus meets 10 lepers, and because they have heard, no doubt, of his healing power, they ask for "mercy." Jesus simply cleanses all 10 of their dreaded disease, but only one leper returns to Him giving Him thanks and praise for the healing he has experienced. Interestingly enough, Jesus attributes this leper's complete healing in body and in spirit to the man's faith and trust in Him, as the healer! Indeed, this story, I think, takes healing and wholeness to a whole new level and seems to indicate that there is something needed on our part to attain complete healing and wholeness.
Finally, it appears that being completely healed- achieving wholeness both in body and spirit- requires my complete trust in God as the One who heals me and makes me "whole."
