The whole story!

My daughter "practicing" talking
on the phone.She learned early!

When my daughter was small she was puzzled when someone once commented that she talked a lot. She explained to her Papa that she always had something to say! When she started to school, every evening she would recount her day for me or her dad from beginning to end. Even in high school, our dinner conversation usually began with “in first hour … and in second hour …”. She came by this trait honestly. According to my mother, when I began talking at 9 months of age and never stopped my aunt was amused. She commented to my mother that we reap what we sow! Yes, my mother, my daughter and I are talkers!

My mother, my daughter and I
Graduation Day 2005.

I’ve been married for 26 years and not very many weeks have gone by that I have not called my mother at least once. Some of those conversations started with “on Monday …, on Tuesday, … and on Wednesday …” My daughter has been married 5 years and not many days have gone by that we have not talked at least once. (I love unlimited cell phone plans!) For us sharing our lives involves words, sometimes lots of them! The details of a daughter’s story are important and interesting to a mother.

 There is only one place in all of scripture where Jesus calls someone, daughter. And here’s a piece of that story that I love, she had just told Him everything!
 “The woman, … stepped up in fear and trembling, knelt before him, and gave him the whole story.” (Mark 5:33 The Message)

The whole story! I don’t think she started with the minutes just before of pushing her way through the crowd to reach Him. This woman had been ill for 12 years and a lot had happened! I think she started with 12 years ago I became ill I and went to one doctor and he said this, and then another and He did this and then I tried … then I ran out of money and then I heard about you and I thought if only … . I think Jesus smiled when He said to her “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. You have been healed”. (Mark 5:34 NLT)

She was sick, weak, unclean and broke. She had done everything she knew to do and nothing had worked. She had heard about Jesus as the news about His miracles had spread far and wide. Faith, perhaps mingled with some old superstitions about power in a person’s clothing, led her to Jesus. Because of her condition, her community deemed her unclean. She was not supposed to be in a crowd of people. Driven by her need, she broke protocol and made her way to Jesus thinking only to touch Him and disappear back into the crowd.

How astounded she must have been when not only was she healed, but Jesus stopped drawing everyone’s attention to her. After all, if you remember He was on his way to an important man’s home to heal his daughter. Even his disciples tried to hurry Him on, but He stopped, He listened, He healed. No wonder she told him everything!

I love the fact that Jesus responded to her even when she was confused in her faith. He responded with more than she could even image. She was looking for wholeness for her body. He offered her wholeness for body, soul and mind. (I have a feeling her mind needed some peace! Twelve years of bleeding!)

Can you identify with this woman? Have you ever exhausted your resources seeking a solution to a problem? Have you ever felt isolated by your issues? Have ever felt weak from a load you’ve carried for years? Have you ever said, if only I could? If you like me, would have to say yes to one or all of these questions, let me ask you one more. Have you heard about Jesus?

When I was a child we sang this little chorus frequently. “Reach out and touch the Lord as He goes by, you will find He’s not to busy to hear your heart’s cry. He is passing by this moment your needs to supply. Reach out and touch the Lord as He goes by.”


As much as I loved to hear every detail of my daughter’s day, I must admit there were night’s when I fell asleep before she was through. There were times when I was too busy to really hear what she was saying. I’m thankful she has learned to talk to the One who is never too busy to really hear her heart. The conversations I love best are the ones where she tells me what He is talking to her about! I suspect those are my mom’s favorites, too. Trust me, what you read here - she’s heard the whole thing first!


Thanks for listening,
See you next Sunday,
Ronda