“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
Do You Want To Get Well?
It’s an interesting question.
“’Sir,’ the invalid replied, ‘I have no one to take me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me’” (John 5:7).
Anytime you don’t want to answer a question, make excuses and don’t actually answer. Wait for everyone else to burst into tears and offer to do your chores.
I don’t know this man or what was truly in his heart. I only know that when I read this story, I wonder about my own motives. I think about my own ailments, be they physical or emotional, and wonder, “Do I want to be well?”
Answer: Sometimes.
When I was a teenager, I wanted to have experienced some major trauma. I didn’t want to actually have to endure the trauma, I wanted to have already endured the trauma, so that I would have an interesting story to tell and then get all kinds of attention. I imagined that “traumatized me” would be prone to crying as I walked around my high school campus, but it would be ok because everyone would know why I was crying and would love me all the more for it. All of them would want to be my close friends, especially the popular kids.
I know this sounds selfish and twisted, and it was. In truth, the problem was that I did not think that my life had much value unless I was receiving the kind of attention I saw other people receiving. I mistook pity for love.
I look back and thank God that He never let me go through any of my imagined horrors. I know it was naïve musing and not out of callousness and uncaring. I simply didn’t understand what I did not understand.
Do YOU want to get well?
I realize that there are times when I truly am unwell and need help. But it’s important to differentiate between that, and when I am making excuses. It’s important not to compare other people’s problems to mine.
With “wellness” comes responsibility. A well person is expected to get out of bed, do work, and blend into the background. But if I am spiritually well, I will remember that my life is extremely significant to God, who placed me in the story He is telling.
“Then Jesus said to him, ‘Get up! Pick up your mat and walk’” (John 5:8).
Sometimes, we need to stop waiting around and simply pick up our mat and start walking.
Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for not letting me get by with excuses. Thank You for all that I have not had to endure. Help me know how You want me to love those around me who are suffering. Amen.