So first off, I want a Baymax. Someone get on that. Disney & Marvel totally surprised me with Big Hero 6. I’m not gonna pretend I knew anything about the comic book before the movie. In fact, I was totally was clueless. Yeah I’ve come to realize a lot of the elements are much more Disney than Marvel in this adaptation and it barely resembles the source material, but I still had a blast watching it. Ok, back to my selfish unrealistic desires, I want a Baymax. That big puffed up medical practitioner was amazing. Heartwarming, funny, compassionate, and then throw in battle armor....pssshhh what else could you want in a sentient inflatable companion? I loved Baymax and the whole crew’s armor and tech, but the thing that spoke most to me wasn’t the gear, gadgets, or thrilling heroics, but was how well Baymax embodied a character whose primary goal is to bring healing. Even his first words embody this, “Hello. I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion.” The world is filled with plenty of “Heroes” that swoop in to stop the bad guys, but usually when the hero is gone the victim is left alone to deal with their pain, anguish, frustration, or just flat out hurt. Reminds me of Hiro.
As believers we have a calling, like Baymax to help bring healing in the world. Just like Jesus stated “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.”
(Matthew 9:12).
Jesus was the Great Physician bringing healing in ways the world has never seen. I’m not telling you to expect to operate on the same level He did, but our savior did show us that bringing healing is a primary function of believers in this world. So here are a few observations from Baymax on how we can be better healers as Christians.
“I heard a sound of distress. What seems to be the trouble?” - Baymax
1. We need to be attentive to the needs of others.
We shouldn’t have to wait for someone to come to us letting us know they are hurting. If we perceive their pain we should make the effort to go to them.
“ Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:1-4).
This verse shows us that one of the biggest responsibilities we have as believers is to selflessly look after each other. If we are truly living in community with others with this
attitude, we will most likely be fully aware when distress comes in their life.
“On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your pain?”- Baymax
2. Don’t assume you know what everyone is going through.
As Baymax so eloquently displayed on his nifty chest chart, the pain we experience in our life is relative to each person. How you deal with the pain of losing a love one may be much more or less intense than someone else. The things you may consider to be trivial may be earth shattering to others. So one of the best things we can do is that when we see someone hurting, we actually converse with them as much as possible to see where they are so that we can better minister to them. Also consider, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working”- (James 5:16). Even if our hurt isn’t caused by sin, the ability to open up to another person is powerful. It helps us accept, and fully grasp the situation we are in.
“It is okay to cry. Crying is a natural response to pain.” – Baymax
3. Let people grieve, mourn, and hurt through their pain the way that they need to.
The biggest thing you can do is not tell them how to hurt, but to be there to hurt with them, and to carry the weight of it so that they know they aren’t alone in it. Paul shows us in Galatians 6:2 to "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” . “Paul also teaches us in Romans 12:15, “ Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” The biggest word we should focus on in this concept is “with.” When someone is hurting, be there with them. Let them see that they aren’t alone in their suffering and that they won’t have to carry this burden alone.
“Badalalalala”- Baymax (That was the fist bump noise. It doesn’t translate super great on paper)
4. We need to bring joy to pain. Yes, people are hurting.
Yes, they may be depressed or miserable, but the last thing people need at times is someone magnifying the misery. Baymax’s lighthearted moments like the fist bump, or “I am not fast,” or “Hairy Baby!” help in a big way in aiding Hiro’s recovery. This isn’t just comedic presence; it’s scriptural. Proverbs 17:22 reads “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Bringing joy is one of the best things a Christian can do for the hurting because we know that true joy is found in Christ and we have better access. I know we get caught up sometimes in the “I’m a serious Christian” attitude, but we were built to love, to heal, and to comfort. If we take ourselves too seriously and don’t allow our joy to come through when people need it, we mask the one thing we can offer.
“This may undermine my non-threatening, huggable design.” – Baymax
Beyond Baymax, we know that Christ is the ultimate model for healing.
Even the prophecy before his arrival showed us He is the healer. “But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.”- Isaiah 53:5
We need to see that in order for us to truly be healers we need to rely on Christ as the healer; our faith in Him is where true healing comes from.
“And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.” - James 5:15
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” - Psalm 147:3
It is truly in Christ that we can be satisfied with our care.