Which is Greater?

                For the past week or so my son has been sick. I can always tell when his fever spikes because he comes to me crying and wants to be held until he feels better. Sometimes he cries while I hold him and sometimes he just rests his head on my shoulder until he feels ready to face the world again, but when things are not right in his world, he comes to see mommy. Yesterday he came to me with the hiccups and wanted to be in my arms until they disappeared. I do not know if he comes to me thinking that I can make his sickness go away or if he just wants comfort, but each time he comes to me I do all I can to help him even if that just means providing comfort until the hiccups are gone.

                This morning we read the first two chapters of Mark. In these two chapters, Mark describes Jesus healing many different diseases and casting out demons. He told people not to spread the word about what He was doing, but they could not help but let everyone they could know what had been done for them. Jesus went to remote places and still crowds followed Him in order to be healed. While performing physical healing, Jesus repeatedly calls attention to the much more valuable spiritual healing that He brought to them. When a paralytic was brought to Him through the crowds to be healed, Jesus instead forgives his sins. In the way that Mark tells this story, it sounds like this is not exactly what the paralytic man’s friends had in mind. In this Jesus made it very clear that it was easier to heal the man’s physical body rather than forgive his sins, but to settle any doubts, Jesus did both.

                After reading this I wonder if I really act like I believe what Jesus taught that spiritual healing is harder and more important than physical healing. When I approach God through prayer, do I ask for solutions to spiritual problems or do I ask Him to fix my physical world? I often ask the Lord for rest, money, health, mental endurance, and other physical things but rarely do I truly desire patience, gentleness, love, faithfulness and other fruits of the spirit. Am I grateful when the Lord provides me comfort or healing for my heart rather than healing for my body?

                Lord, please change my desires to value spiritual purity rather than physical prosperity. Help me to value what You value and accept the things You provide. Amen.