LIVING ROOM MEMORIES  266 

(February 10, 2010)

At Living Room on Friday we’re going to discuss the difference between cure and healing. Jesus asked the blind Bartimeus, “What do you want?” “I want my sight,” Bartimeus said to Him. And Jesus healed him.

There are so many stories like this in the Bible. On Friday I will ask the question, “What would you ask Jesus for if He asked you what you wanted?” “Would you ask for a cure for your mood disorder? Or would you ask for healing?” And what’s the difference anyway?

Myself? I don’t think I’d ask Jesus for a cure. Who I’ve become and the purpose I have found for my life is too much tied to my disorder. If I didn’t have bipolar disorder God would not have given me the work I do. And I like the work I do. It’s challenging. It’s rewarding. Helping other people and trying to erase the stigma attached to mental illness is what my struggles have prepared me for.

I don’t want a cure. But I do want healing. I want the peace of knowing that God is there for me in my struggles – especially my struggles with depression. I pray for strength and the ability to accept and deal with whatever difficulties might come along.

Isn’t healing far better than a cure? When God heals us we become whole people. A cure isn’t necessarily going to do that for us.

May God heal you, whatever problems you might be dealing with. May he bless you.