The healing of what possesses us can happen dramatically, as it did for the man with the unclean spirit, or it can happen more slowly over time. Often we are dependent on the company of others to find the strength or the support we need to face our demons—a therapist for emotional wounds, a soul-friend for spiritual issues, a 12 step program for an addiction. A grief support group or prayer chain or caring church community.
We can imagine the sense of disruption in the synagogue wrought by the man with the unclean spirit. But with that disruption came healing and new life. It is the disruptions in our lives that often lead to transformative experiences. A serious illness, the death of a loved one, a divorce, a major move or a job loss—these are disruptive events—not ones to which we necessarily look forward—and yet, I have seen over and over, and I bet you have to, how they can be hugely transformative experiences in a person’s life. Not always. Not everyone can make it past the pain and disruption of such events to a new wholeness, but when I do see that happen, I am once again vividly reminded of God’s promise of new life. I am thinking of a friend who lost a spouse and whose life has taken some incredible turns; has undergone such transformation I can hardly believe it. In a recent conversation with this person, I experienced him so “full of God,” so full of gratitude and wholeness, it took my breath away. While we don’t look forward to disruptions in our lives, they are often the occasions for great growth and personal transformation. Disruptions, one could say, often help us see Jesus. Help us see God. If we pay attention.
