The Doctor Is In

This past week, strep throat invited itself over to the Martin house. The last time it did, it was the spring time, and I was reminded how awful it is! My oldest was the first to catch it, and my youngest and I were beginning to show signs of strep too. We headed over to the doctor's office to find out the truth.

The sweet woman at the reception desk asked me to update my info, and when I told her why we were visiting, her facial expression immediately changed into an apologizing type of countenance. "I'm sorry," she said, "You're going to have to wear these masks in the waiting room."With a blank stare, I said, "OK," and took the masks she offered. 

I sat down with my little girl, and I placed the mask over her mouth and nose. Then I did the same for myself. I can't describe the feeling I had as I sat there across from the magazines, the TV, and the Christmas tree that was still up. Wearing that little mask, I felt humiliation, rejection, and yes, even shame. Who knew a little fabric with elastics on the sides could make me feel like that? The story ends well enough; my daughter ended up testing positive and was quickly treated with antibiotics, and I had somehow dodged the strep bullet. But I never forgot how I felt in that mask.

We all have things in our lives that act like that mask, don't we? Maybe 2014 was the year that you were served divorce papers, or the year you were caught doing something less than noble. Maybe 2014 was the year your family cut you off, or perhaps you experienced a betrayal. What is that thing that makes you feel shame? What is that scarlet letter that has been stitched onto your heart that weighs you down? Because the "ick" that you feel leads surprisingly to hope. Yes, in 2015, hope is dawning for all of us who wear humiliation, rejection and shame.

There's a part of the story that I left out. The only person who I took my mask off for was the Doctor. He asked me to take off my mask so he could perform a throat culture to diagnose my sickness. He knew just what he was doing, and there was no way he could tell if I was sick or not without me removing the mask. And friends, one of Jesus' names in the Bible is the Great Physician. He knows just what's ailing us, and came as the antidote to the sin-sickness we face here on earth. Listen to the words of Jesus:

"Healthy people don't need a doctor- sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners." Mark 2:17b NLT

Our Great Physician is calling all mask wearers; He is longing to heal our sin-sick hearts, and when He wore our sin and shame on the cross, it meant one thing: we don't have to anymore. We don't have to be afraid to limp into His presence. Unlike that Doctor who treated me, Jesus doesn't need to perform tests to figure me out. He knows me inside and out. And He knows you too. We don't experience humiliation with Jesus: only healing. We are never rejected by Jesus: only accepted. We are never shamed by Jesus: only honored. Lift your fingers- don't worry if they're shaking- and pull the mask off your face. Jesus is waiting to remove that which has stripped you of your dignity; and in its place, He will give you complete and utter acceptance. He's the only Doctor who paid the highest price for the health of your soul.

So as we begin the year, I pray that your heart be made new again. As you sit at your smart phone, or your computer reading this,  I pray that you become tired of the old shame, and yearn to be given back your dignity. I pray that what the enemy meant for evil, that God will use for good. And I pray that you would feel courage rising in your spirit to drop your mask for your Maker, be healed, and live life to the full. Because my dear friend, that is JUST what the Doctor ordered.

Be healed and whole in His presence,

Charisa