One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” – John 5:5-6
It sounded like a no-brainer. Of course the sick man wanted to get well.
Or did he?
Jesus knew that being healed would change the man’s life forever. Begging at the pool was all he knew. All his friends were there. If he was healed, he’d have to leave them and find a new way to support himself. He’d have to learn to care for himself instead of relying on others. In light of all these potential changes, no wonder Jesus asked the man if he really wanted to be healed.
Jesus asks us a similar question: Do we really want to take our lives back? Our relationships will shift, and some people in our lives will resist us. We’ll have to develop new habits and find a better balance between caring for others and caring for ourselves. A lot will change, and change is almost always difficult, even when the outcome is good.
It’s not an idle question: Do you want to get well? Be careful how you answer.
Ask Yourself
Are you willing to do the work that will be required of you as you take your life back? What part do you think will be the hardest?
Who in your life do you think will be the most resistant to your changing? How will you handle that person?
Ask God
Jesus, I do want to get well, but I know that changing isn’t easy. Please give me the strength to meet resistance with grace and to persevere. Thank you.
Taken from Take Your Life Back Day by Day copyright © 2016 by Stephen Arterburn and David Stoop. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.
