Don't tell, well just yet anyway....

Our first child was almost born at home.  There was quite a bit of excitement as we realized what was happening, doctors were called, the car started in the dead of winter, and me laying in a snow bank during a contraction.  It was a crazy night, 21 minutes later we were holding our daughter in our arms, stunned, amazed and thrilled.

Over the next weeks we would tell each other the story of her birth as if we were hearing the story for the first time, we couldn’t stop talking about it.  Of course we loved sharing the story with each other, but I think back at that time and I am sure we bored those who had never had children to tears.

How could they relate to the experience we just had?  Those who had experienced childbirth listened eagerly, those who were attached to us by relation listen lovingly and then there were those who just didn’t care.  I am not sure I can blame them, we were over the moon!

Mark 7:36--Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 

          How many times does Christ say “go-your faith has made you well, but hey, don’t tell anyone” I don’t know for sure, but I do know it is more than once or twice, to those healed of illnesses, afflictions, and emotional distress.  These same people also revealed or discovered their faith.

          I know that I have often struggled with the thought of Christ telling those so full of the spirit, so full of healing not to talk about it.  How do we grow the body if we don’t talk about it with others?

          We can think of this from the point of Christ-“don’t tell anyone because I can barely make it from town to town as it is.  I have some things to do and all this news about me healing people is slowing me down”

          Or we can think about how we might actually sound once we have had an encounter with Christ---over the moon!  How do we sound when we are speaking with our feet off the ground?  Well…the words, rambling, unfinished sentences, with lots of ‘you knows’ in between, come to mind.

          And what if those words, excitedly spilling forth from our mouths fall upon the ears of someone who has not known healing?  Has never encountered Christ, never experienced new life? 

          Maybe Christ was just giving good advice, don’t tell, let this be between us for now and when you have had time to settle down, to think, to really own your story, then tell it and tell it well.  Tell it with a love that need not boast but would rather share. After all it is about relationship.