莉莉是一棟辦公大樓的清潔工，大家都知道她走路很快，真的非常快。因為這樣，她才能輕易避開人群。她出身貧窮又總是被人瞧不起，所以當她從別人身旁走過時，都會本能地用一隻手遮住自己的臉龐。她說她不像一般人那樣，又漂亮又受過教育，所以她有很深的羞恥感。直到一位女同事主動接近她，與她做朋友，莉莉才開始改變。

有個痲瘋病人或許比莉莉有更深的羞恥感。按照摩西律法的標準，他的疾病使他令人厭惡，在宗教禮儀上被視為不潔淨，這讓他成為社會邊緣人。這人不僅身體飽受痛苦，他的心靈更是飽受折磨。這個痲瘋病人帶著傷痛靠近耶穌，乞求說：「祢若肯，必能叫我潔淨了」（馬可福音1章40節）。他不僅求耶穌醫治他的疾病，更是求耶穌除去他的羞恥。

耶穌的回應不是厭棄他而是憐憫他。耶穌伸手摸他，說：「我肯，你潔淨了吧！」（41節）。耶穌的舉動表明祂瞭解這人所承受的痛苦，並無條件地接納他，正如莉莉的那位同事以友善的態度接納了莉莉。

有時我們覺得自己不像一般人那樣，又漂亮又受過教育，因而想要隱藏自己。祈盼你我都願意讓耶穌觸摸，讓祂撫平我們的傷痛，除去我們的羞恥感。願我們這些上帝的兒女，都知道自己是上帝深愛和接納的人。

Letty, a cleaner in an office building, was known for walking fast—really fast. In doing so, she could easily avoid people. Wounded by poverty and accustomed to condescension, she passed others with one hand reflexively covering part of her face. Her shame, in her words, over not being “like normal, beautiful, educated people,” was profoundly deep. When a woman at work extended her friendship, Letty began to heal.

A man with leprosy lived with a shame perhaps deeper than Letty’s. His disease rendered him revolting and ceremonially unclean by standards of the Mosaic law, separating him from mainstream society. The man’s wounds weren’t just physical; they were also lesions of the soul and spirit. With this woundedness, the leper approached Christ, begging, “If you are willing, you can make me clean” (Mark 1:40). Heal me, he was saying, but also remove my shame.

Jesus responded not with repulsion but with compassion. “I am willing,” He said, “Be clean!” as He reached out and touched the man (v. 41). Just like the friendship extended to Letty by a coworker, Jesus’ gesture was one of understanding all that the man had suffered and of acceptance despite it all.

We may walk through life hiding what we feel separates us from “normal, beautiful, educated people.” May we allow Jesus to touch and redeem these things that cause us shame. May we know that as Gods children, we’re accepted and loved.