Pick Up Your Mat
When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” John 5:6 (NIV)
We each handle infirmities differently! Some become angry and bitter because they are stuck with pain. Others keep hoping for a miracle cure from medicine or technology. Then there are those who have found a way of living with the problem. They appear to be living life with a spark of hope in their eyes. Heidi Gaul (Mornings with Jesus) shares her insight with us.
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The story of Jesus’s healing of the lame man at the pool of Bethesda (John 5:2-9) intrigues me. The man sat poolside for days, weeks, months, and finally thirty-eight years, never reaching the water, which, superstitious legend at the time stated, would give healing to the first person in the pool when the water stirred. I wonder if he grew weary of the hopelessness of losing the race. And yet, he doggedly continued.
I get that. I’ve spent years waiting for a miracle. Like the man, sometimes just showing up is all I have left. I’ve raced to the waters only to find I’ve been beaten to the blessing once again. I’ve waited until my backside was sore from doing nothing and perfected excuses for my lack of success. Could I, or that man at the pool, have allowed this problem to become so familiar that it became part of my identity?
I forget Jesus stood beside me all along, asking that one simple question. If I want and need Jesus to heal that broken something inside me, I just need to answer Him. My life isn’t a race, and Jesus doesn’t help just a lucky few—the fastest or the most worthy. He is here to help me overcome the obstacles holding me back.
It’s time I pick up my mat and walk. (John 5:9)
FAITH STEP: Research ways to overcome or adapt to a physical or emotional infirmity. Apply at least one step daily, as you take up your mat and walk.
Lord Jesus, You are the ultimate Healer. Help us never to let our problems become our identity. We confess that we are often willing to try anything and everything before coming to You. Have mercy upon us. AMEN.