5 Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favour with his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy. 2 Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, ‘If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.’ 2 Samuel 5:1-3
One of the stories about Jesus as a child, about age 12, tells of his parents going to Jerusalem with him. Coming home his parents think he is playing with the other children only to discover him missing. They return to Jerusalem and search for him for three days only to find him in the Temple talking with the priests and elders. The story about Jesus made me think of an Old Testament story that tells of a nameless young girl, captured by Aramean raiders. Her master has leprosy. Despite all the girl has been through, the young girl speaks up and tells of a prophet in Israel who could heal her captor. Jesus and the young girl have the courage to share their faith with elders. These young people spoke truth to power.
It is so easy to belittle ourselves and downplay our experiences. We do not have to master the whole Bible to justify sharing. The girl just shared what she knew. Jesus spoke with the elders about what he knew. We can share our experiences. Perhaps age or education is not as important as awareness of how God is working in the world around us and a willingness to engage others with the truth we know. Let’s try to be braver in the coming year and no be scared to share our faith. Blessings.
On the Way to Wonder 