Time to See

I’ ve been exposed to the Bible since I was born. My parents are both Christians and have been telling me about Jesus my entire life. Throughout my adolescence and adult life, I have read the Bible with a particular focus on the Gospels. The Gospels are the four books at the beginning of the New Testament that tell of the life of Jesus. That’s why I was so surprised when I came across a story in the Gospels I had never heard before (or if I had, I never really paid attention).

The story goes a little something like this:

Jesus was teaching in one of the meeting places on the Sabbath. There was a woman present, so twisted and bent over with arthritis that she couldn’t even look up. She had been afflicted with this for 18 years. “When Jesus saw her, he called her over. ‘Woman, you’re free!’ He laid hands on her and suddenly she was standing straight and tall, giving glory to God” (Luke 13:10-13, The Message).

Stop and Take Time to See

This Gospel story moved me to tears. Jesus was busy doing His job and teaching those around Him. But amid His busyness, He couldn’t help but stop and notice the person who needed Him the most. Someone who was ignored by those around her; someone who had been in pain for a very long time. It made me think: Maybe, just maybe, in all His busyness, the master of the universe takes some time and stops everything He’s doing just for me.

But it also made me wonder: If I had overlooked this woman’s story in the Bible, something that I thought was familiar, what else am I overlooking? In what other familiar places am I overlooking the pain and suffering of others? Is it during my commute on the train, where I travel with the same people every day but don’t know any of their names? Is it at work where perhaps a coworker’s smile is hiding tears? Maybe it’s in my own home. I don’t know the answers to these questions now. But I think it’s about time that I do what Jesus did. It’s time I stop what I’m doing and take the time to see.

If you liked this, you might also enjoy My Big God | A God Who Cares 

Jael Amador writes from New York.

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