Dust swirls through the air and people press in around Jesus. Yet in the middle of all this motion, he pauses to ask a question, “Who touched me?”
The disciples seem to scoff. “What do you mean? There’s a crowd around you.” But Jesus insists, “I know that power has gone out from me.” A woman steps forward to confess that, yes, she touched Jesus and she has been healed.
When I’ve heard this story told, the focus has always been on the healing. Yet in recent weeks my heart keeps coming back to what happens just before…to what Jesus experienced when someone touched him.
Power went out from him.
When Jesus in you touches someone else in a meaningful way power goes out from you too. And that is why you need rest and to be recharged more than you realize. You might have a heartfelt conversation that encourages a friend. Or you could show tenderness with one of your children that requires an extra measure of grace. Perhaps you navigate through a difficult ethical situation at work and manage to make a difference. In all of those, God’s power has gone out from you.
Yet instead of realizing that we berate ourselves for feeling tired. We believe we should be able to do it all, all the time. That’s not the way we’re created. And when we live without recognizing that power is going out from us we wind up exhausted and burned out.
How have you been giving lately?
Where has God’s power been flowing out of your life to someone else?
What do you need to be recharged?
Take a few moments to be still and ask God those questions. He’s willing to answer and help you. His power must flow to you before it can flow through you.
Then when someone reaches out to you from the crowd of life you’ll be ready.
XOXO
{Luke 8:43-48}
For the God-sized Dreams Link-Up this Tuesday: Encouraging words from others help recharge us too. So take this “do what you can” step for your God-sized dream: Write a letter of encouragement to another dreamer in your life. Share your letter by including it in a post and linking up here Tuesday.
