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
When I was younger I thought this was a pretty silly question. Who does not want to get well?
But I must confess there have been times when I was more comfortable sticking with the "devil I knew" over the risks of stepping out toward something potentially less awful. Scott Peck wrote of this in The Road Less Traveled when he spoke of the temptation to wait for sure death in a dark cool cave rather than risking losing the small comforts of the cave by striking off across the desert sands and heat in the hope of finding an oasis. So too, often I have simply tried to do more of what is not working and called it "persistence" when what I really need is to give a new approach a try--risks and all.
In fact, without the promises of God I don't know that I would have ever considered intentionally inviting discomfort and possible failure. Oh, you say, but failure is pretty certain if we keep repeating the same routine in the hopes of a miraculous alternative outcome. True indeed, but we all know things that we should do that we do not and things that we should not do that we do.
So how do I become willing to get well? I believe this is a gift of the Spirit of God which Christ sends. At all times we are invited to explore God's teachings, open a conversation with God through prayer, risk the breaking of the protective shell that hardens our heart and embrace a hope for a new life.
Oh Mighty and Loving God, open my eyes to new possibilities, give me courage to consider a new way of living, teach me to be wise and fill me with hope. AMEN
When I was younger I thought this was a pretty silly question. Who does not want to get well?
But I must confess there have been times when I was more comfortable sticking with the "devil I knew" over the risks of stepping out toward something potentially less awful. Scott Peck wrote of this in The Road Less Traveled when he spoke of the temptation to wait for sure death in a dark cool cave rather than risking losing the small comforts of the cave by striking off across the desert sands and heat in the hope of finding an oasis. So too, often I have simply tried to do more of what is not working and called it "persistence" when what I really need is to give a new approach a try--risks and all.
In fact, without the promises of God I don't know that I would have ever considered intentionally inviting discomfort and possible failure. Oh, you say, but failure is pretty certain if we keep repeating the same routine in the hopes of a miraculous alternative outcome. True indeed, but we all know things that we should do that we do not and things that we should not do that we do.
So how do I become willing to get well? I believe this is a gift of the Spirit of God which Christ sends. At all times we are invited to explore God's teachings, open a conversation with God through prayer, risk the breaking of the protective shell that hardens our heart and embrace a hope for a new life.
Oh Mighty and Loving God, open my eyes to new possibilities, give me courage to consider a new way of living, teach me to be wise and fill me with hope. AMEN
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