Jump Into The Water (part 2)

As I look at the man laying by the pool of Bethesda, (see yesterday's post), I am struck at the question Jesus asks him.  He asks, "Do you want to get well?".  That seems like such an unnecessary question.  Of course he wanted to be healed, to get well!  Did Jesus think he was laying beside this particular pool to work on his tan?!?
But imagine the kinds of people lying around that pool.  Some people, I'm sure, were there for the scene.  They had made Bethesda their "pity city" and were lying there to receive their "woe is me" quotas.  These people enjoyed the attention received from being there at the pool.  There was comfort in depending on others to meet their needs. Rather than face the unknown of what healing might bring them, they gladly pitched their tent in the camp of mediocrity.  Of course, this doesn't describe everyone at the pool, but I think we can all relate to the comfortable, yet ultimately suffocating, feeling that comes from staying in our misery. 
I know that for myself, there have been times when I was quick to bare my wounds, my pain, because of the pity I might receive.  It was attention. It might stir a caring word.  It was insecurity and fear based living at it's best.  Those of us who have chosen to lay by the pool with this attitude are quick to say we want to be healed.  But we are even quicker to dwell on the illness or ailments in our souls. The fear of what might come after we expose our wounds traps us and keeps us tied to the weight of our misery. That becomes our crutch, our security blanket. 
In our Christian circles, some believers make a choice to stay beside the pool.  They choose to rack up the days, months and years of suffering as a sort of badge of honor, a certificate of their pain.  It becomes their identity.  Am I the only one who has played in this sandbox?  I think if we are honest with ourselves, we would see that a lot of the time we choose to wallow in bitterness, unforgiveness, hurt, anger, etc. instead of being courageous enough to get in the pool. 
What would happen if believers today, myself included, stopped licking our wounds?  What if we let the wounds found in the palms, feet and side of our Savior be the wounds we focus on....not on the petty irritations that plague our souls.  When we view ourselves in light of the cross, I believe what we choose to hang onto becomes trivial.  There was a Savior who laid down His life so we could have life and have it more abundantly!!  So why do we choose to lay beside the pool?  I say kick off your shoes and don't just step in, DIVE IN!  Immerse yourself and your heart in the blood of Jesus, in the healing He can ultimately bring and in the power that waits for us there. 
Maybe you're reading this and thinking, "That is not me.  I don't operate this way and I don't choose to live in pity and fear.".  OK, I might stretch my imagination to believe that there is someone out there who hasn't been guilty of this at some point and time.  Well, hang on.  The next blog entry might be just for you.  Part 3 will continue to take a peek at the other kinds of people at the pool of Bethesda.  Then get ready to read the three very practical steps Jesus gave the man at Bethesda.  These are the steps you and I can take to transform our hearts and embrace the great life Jesus has for us.
Until next time....
Walk in the Light