Purpose

It doesn't end there because at the end of the day, the demons are in the pigs, the pigs are in the ravine, the man is clothed and in his right mind, the chains are gone, the townsfolk are intimidated, and the whole story is about to go down in history as one more of Jesus's many miracles. 

And...that's what generally happens even now. 

When we address our demons by being in conversation with them, what happens is that we form a plan that usually doesn't just defeat them; it brings some measure of redemption, too. 

It's the inmate who faces his past, then turns around and starts leading an accountability group in the prison. 

It's the addict who gets clean, then goes to work in a rehabilitation clinic as a peer counselor. 

It's the anxious person who finds peace, then becomes a non-anxious presence in the lives of others. 

It's the assault victim who finds their strength and becomes a court-appointed advocate for others. 

It's the person who attempted to take their own life, then mans the hotline that answers the calls of others in the same mindset. 

Over and over again, we see it in the world around us...and, by the grace of God, even in our mirrors. Our demons, given the chance to speak and to enter into a dialogue about their own fate, transform into our purpose.

The same was true for the demoniac, right back in our original story. He comes to the edge of the cemetery, his demons speak to Jesus, Jesus speaks to the demons, the demons run into the pigs, the pigs run off the cliff, the man gets dressed, and he wants to follow Jesus. He wants to spend the rest of his life walking around with this prophet, this teacher, this Messiah, as a living testimony to something incredible that happened to him. 

Jesus has slightly different plans for the guy, which is also how it sometimes work, but the end result is the same. He can't come with Jesus, but he can go back to his town. He can go back to his family and his job and his coworkers and the townsfolk, and he can keep telling his story. He can keep pursing his purpose.

Twenty minutes ago, he was afraid that he might always be known as that guy, but all of a sudden, he's about to spend the rest of his life (and the rest of human history) as that guy - the one with the demons who Jesus healed. 

Think about that for a second. This guy goes from an outcast, stigmatized, demon-possessed, naked man with a reputation to a clothed, sane man with a story...who will always and forever now be included. In the Good News, no less! His knocked down, dragged-out, darkness-shrouded, demon-shrieking story is part of the Gospel...the best story ever told. 

And that's still happening today. 

Our demons become our purpose. Our reputation becomes our story. Our struggle becomes our witness. 

Ain't it grand?