In the waiting room of a hospital, you will see various stages of healing. There are those who are just in for a regular check-up, others for emergency care, there are first-time patients, and then some visit for a lingering illness, while others for continuous treatment.
Much is the same within a church. It is after all, not a community of perfectly righteous people, but instead a group of broken people who are in various stages of God’s healing.
“Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Luke 5:31-32
When we view our respective churches this way, we will be free from disappointments about those we worship with. We will not have unfair expectations about them in terms of generosity, kindness, and even sincerity. We will be more forgiving in case we are wronged.
Jesus Himself primed us for the fact that He came for the sinners and the spiritually lost.
“On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”” Mark 2:17
Likewise, when we adapt the mindset that the church is not a place for perfect people, instead of sinners redeemed by God, we will no longer feel like we do not belong. We will no longer feel timidly shy about worshiping and spending time seeking God alongside others, because we know that like us, they are also in the process of healing. It just so happens that some of them went ahead of us and are better now, and some have discovered their spiritual ailments only now.
“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9
And when we accept that the church is not the place for perfect people, we will also unburden ourselves of our unfair expectations of ourselves. We will no longer beat ourselves up for not failing, or for our slow progress in terms of bearing the fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
Like a person seeking healing, our response to the spiritual “therapy” we receive may be different from others. While some people respond right away, some take time, either because of relationships, trauma, or circumstance. Just as we cannot and should not judge others, we should also not be too harsh on ourselves.
What we can do is to be patient with our own spiritual healing progress and do what we can to hasten it. We can hasten it by clinging on to spiritual disciplines that will help us get closer to God by knowing His character, teachings, and promises.
These spiritual disciplines include daily quiet time and bible reading, joining bible study groups, saturating our days with worship songs, listening to preachings and consuming God-honoring digital content. Of course we have to go worship with other people every Sunday.
“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Make level paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.” Hebrews 12:11-13
Once we receive the healing that we long for, we must continue coming in for our regular check-ups. Spiritually speaking, this of course means continuing to have the spiritual discipline that helped us nurture a closer relationship to the Lord. Our endeavor to grow our faith by clinging on to the Lord for guidance, provision, and mercy will help us stay spiritually healthy.
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on Psalm 1 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: How do you view the church? Do you see it as a place of healing or a place meant only for perfectly righteous people?
Conversation with the Lord: Heavenly Father thank you for being merciful and gracious. Thank you for calling me to you my Lord, for forgiving me of my sins, and giving me a new life. Please give me the confidence to continue coming to you, and be patient with my own spiritual healing. Amen.
