"Picking Up and Dusting Off" (Messages From The Pulpit)

Mark 1: 30-31

"Simon's mother-in law lay sick with a fever. They immediately told him ( Jesus) about her. He

approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up. Then the fever broke and she waited on them."

This is an interesting passage. Here we have a woman who had been sick. Then Jesus comes along and

she is healed. He helps her up and she goes to work. 

  Sometimes we need a "pick me up."

We may be sick, depressed, addicted, angry, or a number of different issues may be hanging around

unwanted.

When we get in such states we often sit in our misery and at best muddle through life half dead.

We may get used to being depressed and the thought of moving forward may frighten us so much that

the safety of being "in a rut" isn't as bad as trying and failing.

We get so caught up with the idea of failure we unwillingly brush aside the idea that we may indeed

discover our greatest success.

We need to seek help. No one, not even Jesus could go it alone. 

Mark 1: 35

"Rising very early before dawn, he (Jesus) left and went off to a deserted place where he prayed."

This is just one of many times we see that Jesus going off alone to pray. 

Without God nothing , not even things we may take for granted including every breath would be possible.

    In times of need we must call upon our creator who loves us beyond human measure. He who healed the sick, walked on water, calmed storms with a simple command, multiplied food enough to feed 5,000 people, drove out demons, died and rose from the dead, defeating the devil forever. He was God in human form. He gave himself up to death, even death on a cross, numbered among sinners to be a ransom for sins he never committed. 

Yes even Jesus needed to pray. As a child he had to know the law and the prophets and he confounded the wisdom of men. 

We too need to pray. St. Paul said we are to pray without ceasing. That may seem impossible but it

gets easier with practice. Admitting weakness also gets easier in time.

So call upon Jesus. Don't be too prideful to ask for help. Pride goes before a fall. 

And like Simon's mother-in-law in weakness Jesus will come, lift us up, and then it's up to us to get back to work. Whether our weakness is physical, emotional, and/or spiritual Jesus has the cure. 

His touch heals us. And then the healing mission God has given each and every one of us can continue or in some cases, begin.