This morning while studying Job I took a literary field trip to Matthew prompted by the author, Lisa Harper. I have always loved the story of the courageous woman who inched her way through the crowd motivated by her pain. Her desperate goal was to touch the fringe on the garment Jesus was wearing. She fully understood that He had the complete power to heal with very little interaction. ‘If I could only touch His fringe’ she claimed to herself. She had the courage to crawl and the faith to receive…and she was ‘made well.’
Many times, in my life I have felt like that woman who came crawling to the feet of Jesus. Times when my sin was great and other times when my heart was broken. For much of my adult life I was only touching the fringe…that small part of Jesus that didn’t require sacrifice. But when I was 45 the whole Garment of Jesus beckoned me. God knew who He created me to be and it wasn’t that woman crawling in her faith who occasionally touched the fringe. He created all of us to more than that…he created all of us to welcome the complete person of Christ Jesus into our lives and live abundantly in Him. He convinced me that I was not poorly made but perfectly designed for the person He fashioned in His mind.
We cannot become more like Jesus until we reach for more than the fringe. 'Touching the fringe' of Jesus is important because it is the first step that guarantees we too will be eternally made well once we are called home. That first touch secures our salvation but every touch after secures our soul and spirit on earth. The power of Jesus is in the wholeness of Him. Only through reaching for all of Jesus can marriages be healed, health be restored, loved ones be reunited and true love be found.
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