"Would you like to get well?"

Jesus saw the lame man lying next to the healing pool. I guess I'd probably ask the same question if I had the power to heal, even though I already knew why the man was there. But there is something deeper in the question. There is responsibility in being healed.

Let me be clear! There are certainly many times when our health (physical, emotional, mental) is NOT a result of our own choices and actions. But there ARE times, more than we think, when it is.

For example, if you're living a life that is not at peace, but is, instead, consumed with stress because you think you have to perform at a certain level, you are inflicting your body with abuse by elevating safe levels of cortisol in your body, and sustained, it will have devastating effects on your health. Let's use this example....

Many of us often live in that state of stress or 'unhealth' while (I suppose, hopefully) routinely returning to Jesus to ask forgiveness for our behavior...for neglecting Him, neglecting our families, etc. Unfortunately, we end up returning again and again with the same confession, the same "stuck in a rut" sin, and the same "I don't know how to get free of this problem". And we keep running back to Him with our confession...sometimes in shame.

I've noticed, though, that when there's healing that's needed, Jesus doesn't necessarily confront people and ask them to stop sinning first. He heals them FIRST. But His question, whether we hear it or not, is always, "Would you like to get well?" If our answer, or our attitude, is "No", He won't force His healing on us. And when we keep returning to Him, He will keep forgiving us.

After He healed the lame man at the healing pool, Jesus disappeared into the crowd, but then later "Jesus found [the man] in the Temple and told him, 'Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.'" (John 5.1-15)

We have the choice to keep asking for God's forgiveness (and in many areas of our lives, we can rest in this beauty of His love), and in His amazing grace, over and over He extends that amazing grace to us...the grace that was made possible by His costly sacrifice on the cross. We would be hopeless without it. But in some areas of our lives, there is freedom awaiting us so that we don't have to continue in our routine sin or 'unhealth'. We can pursue His healing...IF we would like to get well.

Going back to the stress example, to get to healing, we would have to be willing to look at what's "driving" us to perform at that stressful level...and seek His healing in that place. And there is freedom there for you and those around you.

Feel free to ask me about some options if your answer to the question is "Yes."