Taking Time to Heal - January 5, 2026

Today’s Readings -  Psalm 2, 110:1-5(6,7); Joshua 2:2-9; Eph. 6:10-20; John 11:17-27,38-44

I recently read an article on the importance of convalescence or as the author described it, the work of healing rest. It was almost funny that this ended up in my inbox because I’m the worst at taking the time to heal when I’m down with an injury or even a head cold. I get a lot of advice from people who care about me that I need to rest to heal but there’s something in my DNA that always pushes back on that idea. The author of the article writes that she believes that we have an inner voice telling us that the world depends on us, that whatever it is we do is more valuable than our own health or well-being. I’m not sure I actually believe that or if it’s more about the fact that I can’t stand the idea of becoming weak and my inability to accept that I can’t do something is how I fight that image from becoming real.

She goes on to say that true healing is as much spiritual as it is physical. Here she gets to the real marrow of her point. My spiritual well-being is what keeps me centered or for lack of a better word, sane. What Blackie reveals is that the wounds we carry around that prevent us from allowing ourselves to be dependent, even on Christ, need addressing as much as the breaks and points of physical need in our bodies.

In our gospel from John for today, Martha was distressed because Jesus had taken so long to return home, to heal her brother. Jesus knew Martha’s concerns for her brother, but he also knew of her inability to fully trust him, to trust in the fullness of his divine nature. Jesus was allowing time to pass so that the full meaning of his nature could be seen. He could have arrived much earlier but the time that passed would provide more “healing” than if he had appeared immediately.

The last sentence of today’s gospel is the punch line for this entire message. “Unbind him and let him go.” Unbind him from the limits of a system that only believes half-truths. Unbind him from a world that needs instant gratification and last but not least, unbind him, he has rested, and his spirit as well as his body has healed.

Faithfully,

Sally+ 

Questions for Reflection and Challenge - When was the last time you allowed yourself the time to fully heal from an illness or injury without feeling guilt for the time you've set aside to heal? What might need healing in your spirit in order for you to heal fully?