Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.”
NL Daily Devotion for Wednesday, January 31, 2024
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Even positive change can be frightening. Of. course the people were afraid of this demoniac who wandered around naked and out of his mind, shouting and doing who-knows-what-else. But they were pretty much used to it, I imagine.
Then along comes Jesus and cures the demoniac, putting him back in his right mind. He cleans up and gets dressed, and when the people come out see him, instead of being relieved or joyful, they’re still afraid. Maybe even more afraid. Because they can’t explain it. This guy has been this way for some undetermined length of time—I assume a long time, maybe always. And now he’s better. They hadn’t believed it was possible.
I spent a lot of years stuck. Stuck in addictive behavior. Stuck in a dysfunctional relationship. Through recovery and therapy and lots and lots of spiritual disciplines I experienced huge transformational experiences. And they were exhilarating and wonderful .But also terrifying. I remember when I started working my food addiction recovery program wondering if I was going to lose who I was at the core. I didn’t—recovery re-connected me to who I really was, the person I had buried under compulsive eating. But before that reality became clear, I was definitely afraid. Likewise when I left my relationship after thirty years. It was so necessary, and I was so glad I did it, but it came with a lot of fear. I’m so grateful to have felt in a very real, vital way that God was walking with me through all of it. I could put my trust in God that whatever happened, it would be okay. And it has been. Better than okay. Amazing, in fact.
I hope that once the people around this newly healed demoniac realized that he was permanently cured, they could let go of their fear and welcome him back into society with love.
When have I been afraid of a big change in my life? How did it turn out?
