WHAT ABOUT SALLY=
AND
HENRY?
The
Chowchilla News
Pastor’s Commentary by John Parker for
January 31, 2007
Sally never sticks up for herself=
. When
others push her around, ignore her wishes, and trample her soul, she always
smiles and says, “I’m fine.” Sally also has chronic backaches a=
nd
digestive issues. Is there a
connection?
A promotion Henry wanted at work =
was
given to his coworker, Gene. =
Henry
has been envious of, and bitter about, Gene’s success ever since. Whi=
le
Henry has stayed in the same job for years and chronically complained (at h=
ome)
about it and about the unfairness of Gene getting so much more, Gene has
continued to earn promotions and raises.&n=
bsp;
A year or so ago Henry was diagnosed with a rare bone disease that c=
ould
become terminal. Do you think=
there
is any connection between Gene’s envy and his bone disease?
And what about comments like
these? “She really burn=
s me
up!” or, “They drive me crazy!” or, “This is going =
to
kill me!” or, “He’s a real pain-in-the-neck!” Do you think such statements can a=
ffect
a person’s health?
“Yes, Yes, and Yes!” =
is
what I believe Jesus would answer to all of the above questions because they
all connect the soul and spirit to the physical body.
Jesus, makes such a soul and body
(psycho-somatic) connection between a lame man’s inward sins and his
outward physical infirmity when he says to him, “Friend, your sins are
forgiven.” and then, after the religious people protest, changes his
declaration to, “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.=
221;
(Luke 5:20-24) He explains th=
is
switch by asking “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgi=
ven
you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?” implying that the healing could ha=
ve
come to the man either way by the power of God.
In light of such connections, Env=
ious
Henry might do well to consider the Bible verse, “A heart at peace gi=
ves
life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” (Proverbs 14:30) Isn’t it possible that
Henry’s bones are being damaged by the unresolved envy festering in h=
is
soul?
To Smiley Sally Jesus might say,
“Dear one, let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or
‘No’; because anything more than this comes from evil. In other words, saying ‘I=
217;m
fine’ when your not may well be a sinful and destructive thing to
do.”
“Why Lord?”, Sally pr=
otests
with surprising boldness, “I’m just trying to be loving by keep=
ing
things peaceful!”
“Yes, but are you peaceful?
How’s your stomach?...and your back?” Jesus asks.
Finally, the Bible says that word=
s we
speak over ourselves have the power of “life and death.” (Prove=
rbs
18:21) Saying someone or something is “a pain-in-the-neck” is a
negative declaration of what power it has.=
We may pooh-pooh this as nit-picky (another negative declaration!) b=
ut
the Bible says, we are going to give an account for every idle word (Matthe=
w 12:36)
and that we should grapple with every thought we have to bring them into
submission to Christ’s love. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
The popular Christian word
“saved” (as in “I’m saved”) in its original G=
reek
form means “to save a suffering one from perishing, to save one suffe=
ring
from disease, to make well, to heal, and to restore to health.”
(Strong’s 4982) Being
“saved” isn’t just about going to heaven. It is also abou=
t a
body-soul connection for right now.
It is the power make us whole in our body, soul, and spirit. (1
Thessalonians 5:23)
The Bible prayer is, “I pra=
y that
you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul
prospers.” (3 John 2) M=
ay we
make the connection implied in this prayer for both body and soul!
Blessings, Pastor John
The Reverend John Parker facilita=
tes
abundant living at ChristChurch of Chowchilla located at