God’s ways are not our ways
“Valiant as he was, the man was a leper.” (2 Kings 5:1)
Once I heard the voice of God—a “light, silent sound” (1 Kings 19:12). I was in nursing school, struggling through my clinical rotations. Frustrated, I complained to the Lord—why was this so difficult for me? The answer came quietly, but clearly, “I need you to learn humility more than I need you to be good at one more thing.”
In our work at Catholic Charities, we are often like the leper Naaman in the Second Book of Kings—striving valiantly to solve serious problems, relying on our own strength and ingenuity. But soon enough, a difficulty arises beyond our strength, reminding us that we, too, are lepers, and that without the grace of God, we cannot bring about the good we desire.
Naaman had likely exhausted his resources when hope came from an unexpected place: a young Israelite slave girl in his household. “If only my master would present himself to the prophet in Samaria,” she said, “he would cure him of his leprosy.”
Naaman obeyed, but only partially. He presented himself—not to the prophet Elisha—but to the King of Israel, bringing silver, gold, and festal garments—hoping wealth would bring healing. The king, of course, was powerless, but Elisha heard of it and sent word: wash seven times in the Jordan.
Again, Naaman resisted. He had expected dramatic gestures from the prophet—or at least a cleaner river to bathe in! Ready to leave in anger, his servants reasoned with him: “If the prophet had told you to do something extraordinary, would you not have done it?” At last, Naaman obeyed. He washed, was healed, and confessed that there is “no God in all the earth, except in Israel.”
God’s ways are not our ways. When we rely on our own strength, discouragement soon follows—one of the devil’s favorite tactics. God’s healing often comes through humble truth-speakers in our lives and our own humble obedience in response.
Like Naaman, we may need repeated humiliations before we learn to listen. Yet when we accept a plan not our own, God brings about a victory greater than our “success”: a humility through which His healing mercy can flow into the world.
Sister Marie Josepha Kluczny, RSM is a member of the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Michigan and the Executive Director of Catholic Charities of Southwest Louisiana.