Healing or the Healer

I’m getting smarter. After coming out of church every week looking like Alice Cooper, I’ve finally stopped wearing any mascara to church or at all. I don’t know why I even attempt to sing either. I’m just a blubbering emotional...I don’t even know what. We found another fantastic church...and it had a Saturday night service, actually two Saturday night services! Near the end of the sermon the pastor shared a testimonial video from Brain Hommel, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ chaplain. Three years ago his 8 year old daughter, Ellie Grace, was diagnosed with cancer. I think I’ve said this before, but I am SO thankful it is me who is dealing with this and not my husband, child, or grandchild. Their testimony is worth taking the time to watch.

Here's the link to their testimony.

At some point in the sermon or their testimony, I was reminded of what God had burned in my heart earlier that morning in a song. I've never heard the song before. I don't know the artist or the exact words, but it was about seeking the healer, not merely the healing. So easy to do in our humanness. The sermon or Brian or both reiterated that truth. Choosing Jesus is about a relationship now and in eternity; the focus isn't following a bunch of rules and avoiding sin. Like all relationships, there's give and give. Taking and taking and taking some more never leads to a healthy relationship. That includes taking "healing". It doesn't mean I can't pray for that, of course. But my priority is seeking Him first, not seeking the healing first. If I heal and don't have Him, what's the point?

Be sure to grab kleenex before you start watching. Elle Grace is amazing. When interviewing them, the pastor asks Brian if he has any regrets. Of course, Brian does. Then the pastor asks Ellie, and she replies without skipping a beat, "Of course not. The cancer has made me who I am. It has made me grow in my faith. I wouldn't change a thing." Dad's sobbing like a baby now. She's 11 in this interview!!!