Just Jesus

Every month since I started going to my chiropractor, I have also been able to enjoy a massage. Let me be clear before anybody tells me how lucky I am to get a monthly massage. 

These are not fluff-and-buff massages. They are not “light some lavender and pretend to relax while someone politely pats your shoulders” massages.

These are real massage therapists who know what they are doing. They work in tandem with the chiropractor, and for almost two years now, I can honestly say it has made a difference for me to stay aligned and loose.

I know chiropractic care gets plenty of “quack doctor” jokes and side-eyes from people, but this is one of the few things I have stayed consistent with and actually seen positive results with pain management. So I will happily take my monthly adjustment and massage, thank you very much.

That said, every massage is different; different therapist, different technique, different areas that need attention that day, what have you. Today, as I was lying there on the table, this entire blog post started running through my head.... Usually this is how I know I am either having a spiritual moment or avoiding being fully present by being in my own thoughts. Today, maybe both. But mostly, I realized it was because I was enjoying one of the best massages of my life, and it got me thinking.

My husband has a massage story like that. On our honeymoon, at a spa, he had a massage from a little Filipino lady named Mary Ann. And let me tell you, Mary Ann has lived rent-free in our marriage ever since. He still talks about Mary Ann. We joke that if she ever showed up, he might run off with her. I know he is joking.

Mostly.

But today, somewhere between “this is uncomfortable” and “stay right there,” I understood the Mary Ann thing a little better because a really good massage is not just about feeling good.

Sometimes it does not feel good at all. Sometimes it is uncomfortable pressure and grit.

Sometimes it is someone finding the exact spot that has been holding tension and working through it until your whole body is reminded it was not supposed to carry it in the first place.

As I lay there, staring at the floor or closing my eyes and trying to breathe like a normal person, I started wondering:

What makes someone really good at knowing where to press?

Of course, massage therapists are trained. I am not taking that away from them. There is skill, knowledge, technique, and experience involved.

But I also started thinking that maybe the best therapy often comes from someone who understands where tension likes to hide because they have carried tension in the same places. Someone who knows what kind of pressure helps because they know what kind of pressure they have needed.

Then, because my mind never stays in one place for very long, I started thinking about how this is true for friendship. The people closest to me are not necessarily the ones who just show up for girls’ nights or fill the calendar with fun plans. Those things are good, of course. But my deepest friendships are rooted in shared experiences. 

My inner circle is the family and friends who have become part of the fabric of who I am because we have walked through something together.

We've shared struggle, laughter, grief, prayer. We have shared seasons that required more than small talk. Those are the people who know what to say. And sometimes, more importantly, they know when not to say anything at all. They know when to show up. They know when to pray. They know when to make you laugh so you do not cry, and when to let you cry without trying to fix it too quickly.

They know because they have either been there before and experienced what I am going through or they are walking close enough that we are going through it together.

It is the kind of friendship that does not just sit near your life, but sinks deep into it and becomes part of it.

I am blessed to have more than one friendship like that, and I do not take that lightly.

But even those friendships, as precious as they are, are still only reflections of the One who knows me best and can understand fully what I am experiencing. 

Jesus does not just know about pain from a distance. He entered into it. He experienced rejection, betrayal, grief, pain. He knew loneliness, exhaustion, and isolation. He felt the pressure of crowds and the love of family, the ache of being misunderstood and the joy of friendship.

And in a heavenly way. He also understands the heartache of loving children who wander, reject, resist, or simply do not understand yet and has the heart of a father - a parent. 

He did all of this sinlessly. But He did do it.

Scripture says:

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have One who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet He did not sin.”

— Hebrews 4:15

That verse tells me Jesus does not stand far away from our woes, giving distant advice.

He understands. He knows what human weakness feels like. He knows what sorrow feels like. He knows what it is to be tired, what it is to weep. He knows what it is to carry more than anyone can see and more than one person should.

And because He knows, He also knows how to minister to us perfectly. He knows when to press in and when to be gentle. He knows when to bring something hidden to the surface and when to let it be. He knows when to give rest, when to strengthen, and when to let us wrestle with something long enough to understand what we are holding.

BUT in His mercy, Jesus said:

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

— Matthew 11:28

Not come to Me when you have it figured out or when you can explain it clearly.

Not come to Me when you have identified the trigger point and developed a full recovery plan.

Just come weary, burdened, tense, and hurting.

Come to Me! That is the invitation to come and lay down and rest. And the beautiful thing is, He already knows where it hurts.

“You have searched me, Lord, and You know me.”

— Psalm 139:1

He knows our thoughts, our bodies, our emotions, our fears, our needs.

Scripture even tells us:

“Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”

— Luke 12:7

This is how personally He knows us.

Not like a provider looking at a chart before walking into the room or a textbook case of stress and anxiety. He knows us fully. He knows what formed us, what wounded us, what shaped us, what scares us, and what we keep carrying long after we should have laid it down.

I am very grateful for good friends, good care, good doctors, good counselors, good chiropractors, and yes, a very good massage therapist…

But my true healing does not begin or end with what this world can offer me.

Those things may help. They may even be tools God uses.

But my comfort, my strength, my healing, my peace, and my restoration are found in Christ alone.

Just Jesus.

He is the One who knows me best.

He is the One who understands every tender place.

He is the One who can work through what I would rather avoid.

He is the One who knows when the pressure is necessary and when my soul just needs rest.

And He is the One who never leaves me to heal myself.

So yes, I will keep my monthly massage appointment. And my husband can keep talking about Mary Ann as long as she stays wherever she is. 

But when it comes to the places in me that ache the deepest, the places no one else can fully see or reach, and the tension I have carried for far too long…

I will continue learning to take those things straight to Jesus. He knows where it hurts.

And He knows exactly how to heal.

Where have you been carrying pain, tension, or weariness that Jesus already knows how to meet with His perfect care?

Lord, thank You for knowing me completely. Thank You for understanding my weakness, my weariness, my pain, and the places I do not always know how to explain. Help me bring those places to You instead of carrying them alone. Thank You for the people and tools You use to help us heal, but remind me that my true comfort, strength, and restoration are found in You alone. Amen.

Until next time, keep following the Plott, and I will be praying for us all. 💛