Confessions of A Peace Lover...

I've been studying John chapter 4 thanks to the Meet Me At the Well conference last weekend. This week I decided to keep reading on into John chapter 5. Do you know the story? It's where a man who was lame (Webster says: crippled, having an injury that makes one limp; stiff and painful; poor, ineffectual) had been laying by the waters of Bethesda waiting for the waters to "stir" because when that happened whoever got into the water first found healing.

That's where Jesus found him, beside the pool, waiting, but never getting in. Jesus asked him a very compelling question, "Do you want to be well?"

He didn't answer yes or no, instead he told Jesus why he couldn't do what it took to get well. He couldn't get himself there in the state he was in.

I find Jesus's answer as compelling as his original question. He didn't say "let me carry you there." Nope, Jesus answered him "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk!"

There are lessons to be learned in those simple words.

The first lesson can be found in Jesus's straightforward question: "Do you want to be well?"

The lesson is about honesty, being honest with the Lord, and with ourselves. "Do you want to be well?" That's a direct question that can only be answered with a yes or a no.

If we say yes then we need to be willing to do what we're told. "Get up!" Do what it takes to get to where you know you need to be.

If we say "Yes, but..." we have rationalized why we cannot get ourselves to where we know we need to be.

I doubt that we ever say, "No, I don't want to be well", but our actions speak louder than our words. What about when we respond, "Yes, of course I want to be healthy!" and then do nothing? Or what if we simply refuse to answer the question?

What would Jesus have said to the paraplegic if he had given those responses?

Perhaps we see a bit of the answer in Matthew 19:16-22 when He talks to the rich young man who asks what he must do to get eternal life yet is unwilling to do what it takes to have it.

Jesus speaks truth, whether we are willing to follow it or not.

And it is our loss when we choose to ignore the truth He has spoken.

The second lesson to be learned is in His answer: "Get up!" Pick up your mat and walk!" Few of us lie around on mats anymore; perhaps today he would say "Get up! Get off your bed/couch/chair/duff and walk!"

If we recognize that we have an ongoing problem, an issue, an illness, an addiction, a dilemma that keeps resurfacing and we keep rationalizing it all away, we are like the guy on the mat. We know we are missing out on being healthy, and we are stuck in that un-healthy place.

Recognizing the problem is only half the battle; we still have to be willing to do what it takes to start the process of healing. The doctor is probably not going to come to us. Neither is the counselor, or the personal trainer, or the organizational coach, or the friend that can walk beside us on the road to good health.

We have to GET UP and do what it takes. We are responsible to take those first steps, to walk, to pursue health - physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

So what keeps us from getting up? What keeps us from being healthy?

Hmmmm. Perhaps we should ponder that one over the next week.

Here's the challenge: write down the issue that is keeping you on your "mat". What is it that has you "crippled" - physically, emotionally/relationally, or spiritually? Think about it, ask God to help you be honest with yourself and with Him.

We need to recognize what is keeping us "mat-bound". And then we need to allow Jesus's words to penetrate our hearts, "Do you want to be healthy?"

And if our answer is "Yes, but." we need to recognize it as an opportunity to examine what it actually is that is keeping us stuck on the mat.

I have a feeling God's word will point us in the right direction there too!

Until next time..

Beth