Speaking Of Life 1039 | Straighten Up

Heber Ticas

You have probably heard someone say, “You better straighten up young man” or “Straighten up young lady!” Perhaps it was said to you a time or two! If so, it was probably aimed to correct some youthful “crooked” behavior.

We say this to encourage the young person to walk a straighter line, to look up and walk on a better path.

Obviously, you would not tell someone suffering from a spine curvature disorder to straighten up. With most of these disorders, straightening up is beyond a person’s control. However, you can guess most who suffer would like nothing more than to stand straight and be without pain.

There’s a story of a nameless woman in scripture who suffered from a spine disorder. We are not told her age, but we are told that she was crippled for eighteen years. When Jesus saw her, his heart was moved, and he called her over to himself.  Notice what he said:

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“Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. (Luke 13:12-13)

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Can you imagine the source of power she must have felt in her body? She knew it was miraculous – we know this by her response. Not only did she stand up straight, she immediately gave credit where credit was due – she began praising God.

A crowd who saw the miracle also joined in the rejoicing.

Most in the crowd could identify with the gnarled and twisted condition of this woman – perhaps not literally, but certainly spiritually. Some theologians in the Middle Ages, who were trying to describe our bondage to sin, coined the term “cor curvum in se” which means “curved in on ourselves.” Worse than crooked behavior, we are bent and distorted from the inside out.

This nameless woman with an unspecified age can serve to invite us to hear our name being called to Jesus who sets us free. As we come to him and receive his healing touch, we too can straighten up to our full stature as sons and daughters who belong to Jesus’ Father. In this face-to-face relationship we naturally rejoice, praising him with words like those recorded in this Psalm:

“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits—who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Psalm 103:1-5)

If you have grown weary of being curved in on yourself, come to Jesus. He knows how to set you straight.

I’m Heber Ticas, Speaking of Life