Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk."
John 5:8
In life we have choices.
When we are faced with obstacles we can sit still and wait for our situation to change. We can be passive and complain when our situation remains stagnate.
Or, we can stand up and try to fix our problem. We can be proactive. We can choose to "pick up our mats and walk."
In the story of Jesus healing the cripple at the pools of Bethesda, we read of a man who had been sitting by the healing pools for thirty-eight years. The pools were assumed to have healing powers. Each time the waters stirred the first person who entered the pool would find healing. This man had been waiting to be the first one into the water for the better part of a lifetime. He waited. He showed extreme patience. And he was passive.
Jesus asked the man a very important question:
"Do you want to get well?" (John 5:6)
Do you want to get well?
This man was waiting for the world to act upon him rather than taking an active role in his healing. He was choosing the status quo rather than seeking a better experience.
He was choosing to be a victim rather than victorious.
Do you want to get well?
Each of us has something, regardless of our age, our faith walk, our station of life, that needs healing in our lives. The something is a roadblock in your faith journey. Whatever your something might be, it is holding you back from experiencing the healing grace of Jesus in your life. Allowing your something to remain a roadblock is allowing yourself to be a victim. You are choosing your something over Jesus.
Do you want to get well?
Jesus is asking you this question just as plainly as he asked the man at the pools of Bethesda 2,000 years ago.
What is your answer?
Are you a victim or are you victorious?
Scripture
Quote of the Day
“A life of reaction is a life of slavery, intellectually and spiritually. One must fight for a life of action, not reaction.”
Rita Mae Brown
Question of the Day
What is your choice?
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