Throwing Off the Cloak
This guest post come from Robin Bright, a follower of Christ, single mom of three and Nana of one. She has overcome the trauma of sexual abuse, homelessness, poverty, and addiction to become an advocate for recovery, an entrepreneur, and a community chaplain. She has been a ghost writer for over a decade and is coming out with her own book later in 2019. She is also the Founder at SOZO Recovery House. You can follow her here: Facebook.com/robinana
THROWING OFF THE CLOAK
So there’s a story in the Bible where this guy, Bartimaeus, hears Jesus calling him. (Mark 10:49) What happens next is everything.
The Bible says “he threw off his cloak, jumped up and came to Jesus.”
He threw off his cloak.
Not just any cloak.
It was his “blind man beggar cloak.” It legally identified him as a person who was allowed to beg for money in the street without getting arrested. It was his “assurance” that he could make a living from begging.
But when Jesus called him, Bart threw off his old identity and risked everything. He ran to Jesus WHILE STILL BLIND.
He made himself vulnerable to the point that if Jesus didn’t accept him or take him in or heal him, he would have nothing to return to.
Jesus loves raw vulnerability.
He wants us to blindly follow His call, saying:
“I’m throwing it all away, Jesus.
No life raft.
Nothing to return to.
No plan B. I am running to you, to cling to everything you have for me.
…Show me who I am.”
Maybe you have an identity that you’ve been carrying around.
Maybe you’re addicted. Maybe you’re the person no one trusts in your family. Maybe you’re afflicted with an illness. Maybe you battle with anxiety or depression or poverty. Maybe you had a calling on your life and you feel like God’s forgotten you, or taken your purpose away.
Maybe you’ve carried around a false identity for so long you can’t see a better way…but that’s a lie.
We can turn to Jesus and throw off our cloak (our old, limiting belief systems and identity).
When we run to Him, we are never disappointed.
Blind Bartimaeus was healed that day.
He was willing to risk it. In front of the crowd.
In front of everyone.
No turning back.
He wasn’t disappointed for trusting God.
You won’t be either.