Be Opened

Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” ~Mark 7:34

I am constantly trying to mix the heavy with the light throughout my days. It’s easy to let the heaviness of life weigh you down and it’s harder to spot the light through the darkness. But, when you miss someone…you have to let yourself feel the heavy to see the light. The only way to have a balance is to “Be opened.”

Jesus loved to heal people. In the Bible, when he healed the deaf-mute person, Jesus spoke the word, “Ephphatha”  (said ‘ef-FA-tha’).  It means, “Be opened.” To this day, in our faith’s Baptism ceremony (the first sacrament we receive, which heals our souls), the Ephphatha is still used. The priest places his hands over the child’s ears for them to receive Christ’s words. He then places his hands over the child’s mouth for them to proclaim faith, to the praise and glory of God.

This week, God nudged me twice reminding me to “Be open.” It’s been a heavy week for me to see the light. To help me see the light, God had two people reach out sending me videos of Collin. I got to see his face, with all his expressions. I could tell what he was thinking by the way his eyes moved and how his lips opened and closed. I could see the pride and love he felt in that moment by the way he was moving. And, best of all, I could experience Collin through the emotions of each of the people who sent me the videos.

God was reminding me to “Be open.” Collin received Christ’s words… and he proclaimed faith, to the praise and glory of God, in all that he did. I have to “Be open” to see the light that Collin is to people instead of just feeling the heaviness of him not being here. God made Collin special to be that light for so many people, and his journey is all for God’s glory.

I miss Collin terribly. I wish Collin was here to give his two cents to all his siblings. (I can only imagine what his opinions would be!) I miss his humor. I miss how much he loved the end of the school year. I miss seeing the confidence he had when he walked down the sidewalk. The list could go on and on. But, if I am open to the light that God left for me, the heaviness isn’t so heavy.

When you miss someone, I encourage you to “Be open” to looking at things through God’s point of view. Let Him help carry the heaviness. He is always faithful and will never leave us to handle too much on our own. God’s nudges are there, we just have to “Be open” to receiving them.

Kim Nemet