Leap into God’s Mercy!
Sometimes God doesn’t do things the way we want Him to do them. Sometimes we feel He doesn’t come on time or heal us or our friends in the ways that we want. He doesn’t answer our prayers exactly as we requested, and He doesn’t show up with the power and immediacy that we would like.
Namaan in today’s Old Testament reading definitely experienced this. He was a leper and at the recommendation of a little Israelite slave girl, he came to Israel in hopes of healing for his leprosy. However, Namaan is angry that the prophet Elisha gives him such disappointingly simple advice for his cure.
Similarly, the people of Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth get angry because of Jesus’ words. His fellow townsmen get so furious they kick Him out of the city, drive Him up a hill and plan to hurl him over and kill Him. They don’t like what Jesus says, and they don’t like God not doing what they think He should do.
God’s ways are not our ways. And we often don’t like that.
I know that deep inside I am often like Namaan or like those same people of Nazareth. I try to be a good nice Christian and all, but if God is not bringing healing to me or people I know who are really seriously suffering, I too feel tempted to be angry and want to drive Jesus out of my life and maybe throw Him off from the high and mighty cliff of my pride. I don’t want to do the simple or routine thing God might be asking of me. In my opinion it would be better if, just like the people in today’s Gospel wanted, He would just heal all the lepers and comfort all the widows and end world hunger right now. But God’s ways are not our ways.
Today is Leap Day. We have an additional twenty-four hours as a completely gratuitous gift today. But it probably won’t turn out exactly as we want or expect. No day really does. But that’s not what it’s all about. It’s about taking a leap into God’s mercy in the simple or possibly big ways that He is calling us to follow Him in order to receive His healing and joy. Can you take a leap today in the simple and ordinary ways that He is offering you His grace and healing?
