Mark 5:28 (ESV)—For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.”
It defies all logic that I love snorkeling. (1) I’m more like a sinking ship than a playful seal when in the water, and (2) my mind thinks breathing underwater an impossible feat (and rightly so)…thus, I cannot breathe through the snorkel.
To conquer this plague of the snorkel, I first death-grip a boogie board to float on the water and then I breathe in, hold my breath, and plunge my face into the water. Over and over again. Much like the woman with twelve years’ bleeding, who breathed in and held her breath repeatedly, hoping for healing every time she visited a doctor, only to still struggle.
Her healing came when, with faith, she plunged into the crowd, despite her ceremonial uncleanness. Believing the reports of Jesus’ healing power, she touched Jesus’ cloak, and when Jesus asked “Who touched my garment?” she came forward, trembling, and told him the whole “unclean” truth.
Like this woman’s, our plunge of faith allows us to breathe through the Holy Spirit. Without him, we can only hold our breath and hope. With him, we’re free to swim underwater without fear of choking or worse.
Truly, submerging our life in faith saves us from drowning in the disappointment of over and over again.
