Everyone has a story. Stories that have guided and challenged us are what define us. The culmination of our past has brought us to this point. We tell stories to help make sense of our lives. Sometimes, those stories are wrong. Tragically many believe that the circumstances result in their current condition. The truth is that it isn’t the circumstances that shape us but how we react and respond to them. Too many people cannot get past their past and are stuck where they are. The woman in our text had a story but was determined to change the outcome—three of the four gospels record this woman’s story. Matthew’s account is limited, but Luke and Mark provide more levels of detail. We do not know her name, only her condition. The bible says she had an issue. We all have problems. They have a way of defining us, as they did for this woman. As with her, the answer to our issue is Jesus. For twelve years, this woman suffered from a constant loss of blood. More than just the immediate physical issue, she suffered the disappointment of so many hands trying to help but without success. Issues have a way of making victims out of us. The problem is that a victim mentality makes us blame others for our problems. This woman’s issue made her an outcast in Jewish society. By Jewish law, she was unclean, but Jesus didn’t care about her uncleanliness. She knew her story well, but she was not content to live out her story as it currently was. We do not have to be bound by our story. With Jesus, we can write a new story.