By David Collins

The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field. Matthew 13:44

MY LIFE has been more a quest than a religious journey. On this quest, I have discovered that simplistic answers are worse than frustrating. They are like scoops of ice cream dropped on the sidewalk after one lick of the cone – so much potential, but they leave you with nothing.

I want the whole scoop. I want to suck every drop out the end of the cone – and then eat the cone, too. Please don’t feed me pat answers, and don’t ask me to just believe. I have an insatiable need to understand why.

More than sacrifice

Jesus spoke of the kingdom of God being like a man who discovered a treasure buried in a field. Without telling anyone, the man sold all he had and purchased the field.

Whenever that story has been told to me, it seemed to always be in the context of sacrifice. He sold everything.

I missed the most critical point.

Everything that man possessed was worth less than the treasure he knew he would gain. It wasn’t about loss. It was about a shrewd investment! There is more buried in that field than you can see, but even what you see is enough to convince you that this is worth more than everything you own.

The expectation is for riches that far exceed your expectations.

A man who had been sick for 38 years spent his life beside a pool. It was believed the Spirit of God would visit that place, stir up the waters and heal the first person to enter.

Did it ever occur? Who knows?

Jesus did, however, ask this man: “Do you want to be well?” (Read John 5 for the full story.)

Beyond healing

He did not ask, “Do you want to be healed?” If this man were truly to become well, his whole life would change, not just his body.

He would no longer have a reason to show up at a pool and beg. His caregivers might find themselves out of a job. His friends had defined their relationship with him through the lens of his inability. He would have to learn a trade and start to support himself.

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When Jesus asked, “Do you want to be well?” he was asking: “Do you want to be whole?”

This story stirs something in my own soul, about wholeness. There have been many places and times throughout my life when I have not felt whole.

I have felt broken, insignificant, inferior, incomplete, fearful – and, at times, incompetent. I have spent many hours waiting for the rippling of waters. If I could just get in first . . . If I could just get that break . . .

I wonder what wellness would look like, if I truly realized it in all aspects of my life – not just in my physical health? What would it mean to choose to live well? To be whole?

As I reflected on the question Jesus asked this man, my soul understood its implication.The complaining stops.  The blame, the anger, resentment and accusations cease.

I want to choose wellness. Yes, I want to be whole in all aspects of my life.

Jesus’ invitation is extended to you. “Do you want to be well?” Do you want it enough?Are you desperate enough to release the crutches in your life that you have come to trust?

Take a moment to consider your places of dependency. Who do you rely upon? Which voices do you listen to? What does security look like to you?

Seeds of wholeness

Christ expanded on the meaning of the kingdom in the Parable of the Growing Seed:

The kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens. The earth produces the crops on its own. First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens. And as soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the harvest time has come. Mark 4:26–29.

Jesus further elaborated on this theme in the Parable of the Mustard Seed:

How can I describe the kingdom of God? What story should I use to illustrate it? It is like a mustard seed planted in the ground. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of all garden plants; it grows long branches, and birds can make nests in its shade. Mark 4:30–32

– David Collins is the head of Paradigm Ministries, based in Abbotsford. The preceding is an excerpt from his new book, Reflections. Contact: paradigmministries.ca.

May 2010