When Jesus saw her and knew she had been paralyzed for a while, he asked [her], “Would you like to get well?”
“I can’t, sir,” [she] said, “for I have haven’t a clue how to rise up from this mess.”
Jesus told [her], “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” John 5:6-8
It seems almost absurd that anyone wouldn’t want to get well, doesn’t it? But it honestly happens. Sometimes we tend to just sit in the mud and mire that surrounds us because at least we “know” it. We can “own” it.
We know how to work it, if you catch my drift. It’s what everyone is used to seeing us do and has become a way of thinking and behaving (albeit faulty) for us. We trick ourselves into thinking we’re stuck in this scary place forever, so we just better just get used to it once and for all.
Fear paralyzes us from the inside out. It begins as a jolt to our system when something so extraordinary happens that our mind can’t make immediate sense of it. And so, in an effort to sort of “self-protect”, we begin to shut down. And sometimes, we end up settling into that space for the long haul.
Maybe, after a while, we almost forget what it was like to live more freely; without that feeling of anxiety. We begin to believe that it’s just easier to keep ourselves lying flat-out in fear than to fight it.
If we aren’t careful, fear has the power to keep us down.
But then, in the middle of our settling into a pattern of learned helplessness, there’s this thing that happens when Jesus just simply points out, “Um, you know, it doesn’t have to be this way. If you just get up, you can start moving.”
And if you trust Him, you try to raise yourself up a little to see if He’s right. And joy-of-all-joys…you realize He is!
Suddenly, your surroundings don’t look so scary anymore. So, then, that little, ice-cold hand that grips your heart starts to melt ever so slightly and your blood starts pumping a little easier. Then the fog starts to clear, your sea legs stabilize, and you stand up for the first time in a little while and see over the top of the hole you’ve managed to get stuck inside and hope shines just a smidgen brighter than it did a moment ago.
Are you stuck right now? Are you starting to believe that your surroundings will always be your reality? Gosh, if so, I want to encourage you today! Be brave. Listen to the voice of Jesus. Get up. Take that first step. And BE well! I’ll be the one jumping up and down, clapping like crazy for you! You CAN do this; and I can too!
Let the healing begin.
Speaking of The Best Yes, are you following along with us this session?! If so, be sure to finished reading the last three chapters of the book and complete Session 5 in the study guide. Can you even believe we just have TWO little sessions left?! *Sigh*
Peace, love, and JOY!
Wendie
See you next week with some thoughts on building your legacy! 😉
Stringing Pearls with Wendie 