“And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Loose him, and let him go.’” John 11:44

Tripping Over Graveclothes 

Walk His Way Revisited

There were many “wrappings” and “trappings” from my old life when Jesus saved me. I was not free of them all at once; it took a lot of time, patience, and untangling before I was separated from those things that had formerly bound me. Those “graveclothes” tripped me up and kept me from living and moving freely in Christ. I was stuck in the past and didn’t know I was free to move forward. With the love of caring friends and family, and the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit, it all came loose and fell away. I’m sure the stench was pretty bad… after all; I’d already been dead all those years.

When Jesus resurrects a dead life, He asks us to help with the loosening of their graveclothes. I want to do for others what was done for me. This “loosening” (or freeing) came not only through the love and intervention of friends, family, and co-workers who knew the Lord, but also through the women who attended the women’s Bible study at my church. As I saw them live out the truths of scripture, I began to see how a woman of God thinks and lives.

When we befriend a younger woman or a new believer, we have this example from Jesus: “Loose” them. Help them to get free. Don’t recoil from the stench of death as the layers come off. Pray for them. Share with them. Most importantly, love them enough to stick with them.

Heavenly Father, by Your grace may we be willing to get involved with loosening the graveclothes of others. Give us the wisdom to see what must be done, what must be said, what must be broken down and unwrapped. Bring new life to those who are dead and blind and miserable and poor. If they trip over what binds them, may we be there to help them up. Make us ready to step forward. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.