a glimpse of sharon world...

if You are willing.

i'm currently reading through mark and since the night i began and read in chapter one the story about the man with leprosy, i haven't been able to get it out of my head. (mark 1:40-45). i feel God was teaching me something here; something big...something i needed to hear.

during mark's interpretation of this story the leper comes to Jesus, falls on his knees and begs, "if you are willing, you can make me clean." (please note, the leper did not ask whether or not Jesus COULD make him clean. he was asking whether or not Jesus WOULD. i emphasize this because this distinction was what struck me the most in this story.)

Jesus' response to the leper's begging?

"Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said, "Be clean!" (v. 41, emphasis mine)
i read this story on monday night, and still i can't shake it from my mind. to me, it's incredible. a humble request from a leper who absolutely believed Jesus could heal him if he wanted to, brought a beautiful response from the Creator of the universe: "I am willing".

so what does all this have to do with me now? well, i went to campus challenge this past weekend and while i'm still trying to wrap my head around everything, i can't help but think what my next steps in general will be. naturally my first response is to ask God for things; for unity, for barriers to be broken both internally and externally, for my heart to be softened, for my soul to be cleansed...the list goes on. like the leper, as Christians we go to God with absolute belief that God is capable of everything. however, unlike the leper sometimes we forget the most important thing, that it is ultimately up to Him whether or not He does anything.

God is completely able to do the impossible, however it is only IF HE IS WILLING that the impossible will become reality.