She, Herself & God
The Impossible Dream of the Infirm Woman
“He saw a woman who had been crippled by an evil spirit. She had bent double for eighteen years and was unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said, ‘Dear woman, you are healed of your sickness!’ Then He touched her; and instantly, she could stand straight. How she praised God!” (Luke 13:11-13)
When we talk about eighteen years, the first thing that comes to my mind is debut, which is also known as the traditional Filipino coming-of-age celebration of a young woman’s eighteenth birthday. As a little girl, I used to dream of having my own debut just like my older female cousins. I remember one of them even had a huge street party and wore a gown for her eighteen roses dance. Meanwhile, my other introverted cousin had an intimate party at home with family, her friends, and her crush. Nevertheless, both young women had so much fun because they were celebrated on their special days.
To my disappointment, I did not have my dream debut unlike my older female cousins. I remember I had a class that time, so it was just a regular university day for me. There was no street party nor an intimate party at home, and nobody even cared to buy me an eighteenth birthday cake. But thankfully, a college friend decided to take our group to an amusement park after the class. Her father had an employee privilege that was why we were able to have unlimited rides for free on that day. So even if my impossible dream debut did not come true, I still had fun because I was celebrated on my special day.
But in the Scriptures, there was a woman who might have had a different response when asked about eighteen years because she unfortunately had an infirmity for that long period of time. She had been crippled by an evil spirit, had bent double for eighteen years, and was unable to stand straight. But thankfully, Christ had mercy upon her and healed her of her sickness. So in an instant, she could stand straight that was why she praised the Lord. And perhaps, she was then presented to the society like a debutant because her encounter with Jesus served as the beginning of her new life after eighteen years of infirmity, which was an impossible dream come true that was worth celebrating.
As a woman of God, each of us has our own cross to bear just like the infirm woman. We may have been born into a poor family, and the struggle to survive is real; but we can be comforted by the truth that the Lord is our all-time Provider. We may have been sick for a long period of time, and giving up seems to be the easiest option; but we can be encouraged to keep on fighting because God is our greatest Physician. We may have experienced neglect or have never been celebrated even on our special days; but we can be inspired to still have fun, to go on with our lives, and to wait until our impossible dreams are made come true by the ultimate dream come true Maker.
Our Father in heaven, we thank You for making the impossible dream of the infirm woman come true and for making us realize that it does not matter how long we have been sick because what is truly important is how we can be healed in an instant by Christ. We praise You for giving us our own crosses and for reminding us of how we have been saved by grace through faith in what Jesus did on the cross of Calvary. We glorify You because You know and bless our dreams; and we declare with full faith that in Your appointed time, You will make these dreams come true no matter how impossible they seem to be. All these we ask in the Name of our Savior, Healer, and ultimate dream come true Maker. Amen.
