Cabin Devotion with Miss Leah: "Details and Distractions"
Details and Distractions
Prayer:
“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Galatians 1:3-5)
Scripture Reference: Mark 5:21-43
Take a few moments to read and think through the passage.
Devotional:
The story of the bleeding woman and the sick girl has so many applications to our lives. How often are we busy doing something and get interrupted? Frequently, our first response is to be upset about this new distraction from what we were doing. Is that right? In this story, Jesus shows us how important it is to be patient and pay attention to what is around you.
A large crowd was traveling with Jesus to the young girl, and yet when the bleeding woman touched His clothing, He noticed. His disciples were so confused as to why Jesus demanded to see who touched him. They were in the middle of a crowd; everyone was touching each other! Jesus decided to take time to speak to the woman. You see, this woman had been sick and bleeding for the past 12 years. (Also, notice how the two come together. The young girl Jesus was on his way to help was 12 years old, the same amount of time this woman had been sick.) The woman believed that if she could only get close enough to touch Jesus’ clothing, she would be healed. Instead of ignoring it or getting annoyed for being slowed down, Jesus took time out of His day for the woman. The young girl’s father was becoming upset that Jesus had stopped, but Jesus’ only response to him was “Do not fear, only believe.”
It can be so easy to have the reaction of the girl’s father. If something comes into our path, disrupting what we want to happen, we often become angry. We should be following Jesus’ example. Instead of getting upset, we should take time for the other person. Write down some times that you have been busy doing something and then you got interrupted. How do you normally react? How should you react? What can you do to be more patient and loving towards the people around you? Will you commit to asking Jesus to help you to see these interruptions as opportunities instead of obstacles to your day?
When we have a sincere belief and trust in the Lord, we can afford to make time for other people. Through our patience and lovingkindness toward those around us we are showing the love God has for us. If you’d like to prayerfully and thoughtfully listen to a song to close this time, please watch:
Choose to Love (Francesca Battistelli): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBY3f9IHyFM
