Blind Voyager on Happiness & Healing
April 10, 2007
Here is a quick write up on Transmission at my house on Wed March, 28th.
“If only we could get ahead in life we’d be happy.” A similar thought probably went through the paralyzed man’s head at the pool of Bethsaida (John 5:1-9). He thought if only he could touch that pool he would be healed and he would be happy. But as a blind person I know that physical healing doesn’t necessarily mean happiness. There are plenty of people in the world who are not paralyzed and who are just as miserable. What truly makes us happy is our spirit and attitude towards life. But sometimes our spirit is paralyzed and we need someone or something, like Jesus, to come and kick us off our ass.
We ritualized these ideas at Transmission on Wednesday, March 28. As we all gathered together, we each took change and threw it into a pool of water and wished for the things that “If only we had” would make us happy. Then we read psalm 121 and intermixed it with the chorus from the Beatles song “Help.”
After this I gave an abridged version of a sermon I had given at my seminary a week ago, and we then discussed our desires for happiness, how they help us and hinder us, and where our true help comes from. I told a story about a friend of mine who was born blind. Her parents were devastated and they did not know what to do. They assumed that a blind person could never live a happy and successful life so they sat out to make her life as pleasant as possible. They gave her a bedroom with a radio, tv, refrigerator, and microwave, and she stayed there and grew up into a woman weighing over 300 pounds. The whole time she thought that this was as happy as she could get, but if only she could see she could be truly happy, make friends, and go to college. Until one day a worker for the National Federation of the Blind came and told her to get off her bed and follow. The worker taught her how to accept her blindness and use skills such as cane travel and braille as a means not just of coping, but of living. After a year of training my friend had completely changed. She had lost a hundred pounds and is now going for her doctorate of law degree. This was a true transformation, and I believe that Jesus can effect a similar change in people.
After sharing with one another we ended in silent prayer. It was a wonderful time and the food and fellowship we shared before and after the service was incredible. I was particularly excited because we were able to have the service at my apartment, and I was able to welcome the church into my own home.
Paul Grenier.
4 Responses to “Blind Voyager on Happiness & Healing”
Spent part of my time yesterday talking to Dr Cherian Koshy, an old friend, who looks after Palliative Care at the Regional Cancer Centre, Trivandrum, Kerala. He was commenting on how many Christians confuse “healing” with “curing” and how they expect miracles. He cited the case of watching a program on a Christian TV channel where someone had requested prayer that his/her father who lay in a mortuary should be raised from the dead. He felt it was unreasonable that one should expect such a miracle to take place.
Of course, my response was that such expectations would always be there because Jesus had performed such miracles and so did Peter and Paul. Further, a Christianity without the possibility of such miracles taking place by faith might become rather boring!
In any case, we came to two conclusions from our discussions:
1. Do not forbid people from seeking and expecting miracles from Jesus who lives forever and is able to perform supernatural miracles but tell them that they ought not to be disappointed if He does not always perform a miracle when you demand it.
In this context, I am reminded of some lyrics from Herod’s Song in JC Superstar:
So, you are the Christ, you’re the great Jesus Christ.
Prove to me that you’re divine; change my water into wine.
That’s all you need do, then I’ll know it’s all true.
Come on, King of the Jews.
What is important in this case is to be able to help and support people who expected miracles but nothing happened. Here it becomes part of “mission” to be able to help those who become disappointed and depressed and lose hope in Jesus when a miracle doesn’t happen and to enable them to see God’s bigger plan of salvation for them.
2. Dr Koshy then mentioned the difference between “healing” and “curing”. Many people expect miracles of curing but what God wants to do is the miracle of “healing”. What this means is that, one can be “healed” within through close contact with God’s love and goodness and comfort in the Holy Spirit even when one finds oneself hamstrung by a disease or experience that makes one long for a perfect and permanent “cure”. Jesus is more often “healer” than one who “cures” diseases.
By Avy on Jan 1, 2009
These are really good points, and it puts me in the mind of Dietrich Bonhoeffer who denounced the practice of putting God in the margins of scientific knowledge. The reason most reported miracles are curings is because science still has no explanation for sudden remission of cancer, etc.
But putting God on the margins of scientific knowledge means that as science progresses, God is forced to retreat. If we instead put God in the center of our knowledge, then the conflict disappears.
By isaac on Jan 6, 2009
Our attitudes control our lives. Attitudes are a secret power working twenty-four hours a day, for good or bad. It is of paramount importance that we know how to harness and control this great force.
By Daniel on Nov 19, 2009