Go wash your hands. Did you use the anti-bacterial soap??Take off your shoes, you?ll track mud in the house.

Most of us care about being clean. Clean is good. Clean is healthy.

But what if you couldn?t get clean? Not just your house, but your body?your self. What if you suffered from a condition that left you in a constant state of filth and embarrassment. What then?

You may be familiar with the encounter Jesus had with the bleeding woman in Mark 5:24-34.?The woman had suffered for many years with constant bleeding and had a?deep need for healing.?She had spent all of her money on doctors to no avail.?She was likely an outcast in her social circle. Her suffering came in many layers.

The woman wanted to be healed. She knew that if she touched Jesus, there was a good chance she could become clean. But she didn?t want to be seen. She didn?t want to call attention to herself. Her desire for wholeness, however, superseded her fear and she reached out in faith.

Her hope for anonymity was blown when Jesus asked, ?Who touched my clothes?? She could have run away, but she was so overwhelmed by the fact that she was healed, she fell at his feet and shared with him what happened.

What followed were a few simple sentences of love,??Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.?

Jesus took the time to stop even though he was on his way to help a dying girl. This woman mattered to him. He gave her time, attention and value. Jesus met her on every level.

• By calling her?daughter, he showed a relationship of love.
• By letting her know that?her faith?made her well, he gave her dignity and respect.
• By sharing?peace, he gave her his blessing.
• By letting her know that her?suffering was over, he showed that he was all powerful and able to heal.

It is the perfect encounter of healing and making someone clean.

How might you come to Jesus in this same way?

• In what area of your life do you need the deepest healing?
• In what area of your life do you feel the most unclean?
• What is there about you that makes you want to hide?
• What would it take for you to step forward in faith?reach to Jesus for help or healing?

When you are ready?reach out.

Receive these words as a blessing:

He loves you

You are safe

All shall be well

This post first appeared in the Presence Blog on February 20, 2014.