We’re in the middle of cold and flu season; sickness abounds.
And, it’s at this time of year, I think about healing. It’s one thing to be flu-ridden, queasy, achy, possessing a high fever and wish to be well.
However, it’s another thing if we struggle with addictions and compulsions; they are also referred to as “disease.” With that situation, we’re often conflicted at best and resistant and unhealthy at worst. What is our response to the question, “Do you want to get well?”
Hey, even Jesus asked the question.
“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
Let’s further check out this healing scenario at the Pool on the Sabbath in the Book of John…
1After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. 3In these lay a multitude of invalids–blind, lame, and paralyzed.5 One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?”7The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” 8Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” 9And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath.
Did you catch how healing was a participation sport, not a passive situation? And it all starts with how we answer the question, “Do you want to get well?”
From there, we need to participate in our healing. That can mean a wide range of activity: going to meetings, getting involved in therapy and treatment plans, getting honest with ourselves, God and others and replacing self-destructive choices with healthier options. These are just a few examples. But are we willing to do them? Are we willing to do the work? What is our honest answer?
“Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” Matthew 5:37
It’s not about getting better all by ourselves. That approach can lead to disastrous consequences. We need help. We need God. We need to do something which is not our typical, addictive, unhealthy response. After all…
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Proverbs 14:12
It is crucial we are completely honest with ourselves and our lives. Our attitude toward recovery and change can be part of our healing toolkit or it can serve as a gigantic obstacle to our improved health and lives. Our decision plays a big role in the results we experience.
Regardless, we need to be honest with our answer to getting well, be it yes or no. Ambivalence, denial and any refusal to embrace our truth does not help us.
A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. James 1:8
No, it’s not easy; it’s often filled with pain. But the cliché is true: the best things in life are difficult and worthy fighting for.
So, where are you when it comes to your own healing? What do you say to a Jesus Who wants to heal you? What are you willing to change?
Your answer makes all the difference.