Healing Others

We often want to heal the pain that we see in others. We are not healers. Jesus Christ is the healer. People work on themselves and grow through the grace of God. We cannot do another person’s growth. We cannot apply the power of grace. We are simply a tool in the Master’s hand.

We can be good at being an instrument. We can be a good instrument by keeping ourselves sharp. We can keep ourselves physically healthy, so that we have energy. We can keep ourselves mentally healthy, so we can have compassion. We can keep ourselves intellectually healthy, so that we have a greater capacity for use. We can keep ourselves spiritually healthy, so we can hear and act on the promptings from God. Self-care is a perquisite to being a good instrument.

Don’t assume that if you were a better instrument in God’s hands, the person would be healed. You are but one of many people God will put in the person’s path. You will not be the sole intervention in that person’s life. Don’t assume that a perfect instrument in God’s hands will mean that a person’s agency will be taken from them. Jesus Christ was a perfect teacher, and Judas still chose a darker path.

Don’t compare yourself to others. Tools are not comparable to other tools. A saw is not comparable to a screwdriver.  A tape measure is not comparable to a level. They do not accomplish the same task. Likewise, one person is not favored over another, because no two people are alike. God will use the person he needs, in accordance with what is needed at that time.

It is a freeing position to assume that Jesus Christ is the master healer, and we are an instrument in his hands. He decides what instrument he wants to use in a particular situation. It is up to us to be ready to be that person, when we care called. This requires self-care and personal growth. It does not require the assumption that we can change another person.