WOMAN WITH A BLEEDING DISORDER. This woman is the one I can relate to the most in the New Testament, because she is me in many ways.
I too have had an issue with heavy periods since I was 13. My bleeding got so bad that I could barely walk, let alone leave the house for a few days each month around my period. As that was something not commonly talked about in public, many of my friends, family & coworkers were unaware.
There is a shame that women feel when our (for lack of a better word) inner plumbing fails to work properly, and it can be awkward & hard to get properly addressed through medical channels, not to mention isolating.
This poor woman not only spent every penny she had on medical treatments which didn’t work, she was also bound by the cultural & religious regulations in her day requiring her to isolate herself away from others while bleeding.
There are 3 mentions of her story in the Bible, but one jumps out at me the most.
In Mark 5:25-34 we get a broader account, one which tells us that not only did the physicians take her money, they left her even worse off. Mark shows his compassion for her plight in how he includes her thoughts, not common for a man to do in those days.
Despite her 12 years of bad treatments & no answers, this woman realized that if she could only touch Jesus, she would be well. She recognized Messiah had the power to stop her bleeding. So she quietly reached out & touched the hem of His robe in the hustle & bustle of the crowd. Instantly, she was physically healed.
But that wasn’t enough for Jesus. He stopped walking, asked the person who touched His robe to reveal herself & then publicly restored her. The quickest way to let everyone know she no longer needed to live separated from others, while also healing her of her shame and isolation!
Knowing God cares enough to do so for this woman moves me every time I read her story & gives me the faith He will heal & restore me as well!
For God makes it very personal each time He heals & restores, doesn’t He?!
May we always reach out for His touch, for many of us have wounds only seen on the inside which can only be healed by our Healer.
#SheBelongs #sharingHope
KARLA LEES 