It was just about forty-seven years ago when I reached out and "touched the hem of his garment". I was so timid and afraid. Afraid that I had no worth. Afraid that my sin was too great. Afraid that forgiveness was beyond me. The enemy of my soul had me in his grips. I was full of shame and disgrace and he had convinced me that my life was at the point of no return. The natural emotions that comes with being human had long left me. I felt empty and without hope. I had tried everything to heal myself of the guilt that had heaped up within my soul. Guilt from years of sin's destruction. I had sought love in all the wrong places and became vulnerable to the wiles of the enemy. The face of love often turned into the face of evil. I felt the shame of abuse having listened to the voice of the accuser who would speak to me over and over in my mind saying, "This is all your fault!" I believed the lie that told me that if I had only done this or that differently it wouldn't have happened. Even to the point that if I were just uglier I wouldn't attract the wrong attention. I became dead inside. There was no place to go. Love was illusive. Then came Jesus. He walked right into my awareness by His Spirit. I did not understand why this small spark was igniting; why these tears were beginning to flow. I only knew He held the answer to the disease of sin of which I was suffering. Timidly, through the thronging crowd of adversity, I reached out with fear and trembling and "touched the hem of his garment" of love and healing. He turned and faced me. I could feel him. He said, "Daughter: You are loved." "Daughter: You are forgiven." "Daughter: You are clean." "Daughter: Your sins are washed away." "Daughter: The enemy of your soul has been defeated." "Daughter: You have new life." "Daughter: Your Faith has made you whole because you have believed in me." Then he told me I was now on my way to Heaven! Oh, the brightness! Oh, the glory! Oh, the wondrous weightlessness of sin lifted. I had become one with the One who loves me with an everlasting love. A love beyond the comprehension and capability of this world. An unselfish love; a healing love; an understanding love; an unconditional love; a love that lifts you above this world and shines with such radiance it would blind us if we were not given Spiritual eyes. Yes, like the woman spoken of in the Holy Bible, Mark Chapter 5 verses 24 through 34, I knew Jesus was the only way. She pushed through the crowds to "touch the hem of his garment" and he turned to give her so much more than she had expected. After 12 years of a debilitating disease the doctors could not heal, he spoke, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your disease." Sin is a disease and rots our soul and robs us from the peace we were intended to have. As we reach out to Jesus, even if our efforts are timid at first, he responds with all the love of the Father in Heaven who loved us so much that he came as the man, Jesus the Christ and gave himself up to death on the Cross and rose from the grave in three days to give us Life Eternal. That is the culmination of true love!
