I’ve experienced pain. Headaches triggered through relational conflict, neck/back pain prompted by worried thoughts, and digestive distress initiated by fear. I say to myself, “Those people are messed up. Probably slept too long in the wrong position. Must be something I ate.”
I’m learning to dig deeper to discover the real cause. The hard work of digging not only helps relieve physical pain but also gives clues to releasing emotional discomfort. Science tells us 75-90% of illness is caused by emotional distress.
“What does that look like?” you ask. The hardest part is my recognizing pain might have an emotional root cause. I have a conversation with Jesus telling him about it. He already knows, but loves that I’m coming to him believing he will help.
I seek divine wisdom by taking time to consider Jesus words in the Bible and in my spirit. Sometimes I sense direction to visit a physician and sometimes there are things I need to let go of. The gain for me is often relief of physical pain, a more peaceful heart and healthier thought life.
When Jesus arrived in Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, “Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and racked with pain.” Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.” Then the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed! I know, because I am under the authority of my superior officers and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this or that,’ they do it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all the land of Israel… Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go on home. What you have believed has happened.” And the young servant was healed that same hour. (NLT: Matthew 8: 5 – 10, 13)