Ready to Heal

“Do you want to get well?”

John 5:6

While viewing the ruins of the Pool of Bethesda beside the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, I reflected on Jesus’ miracle—healing a crippled man. At that time, I did not know that I, too, needed healing.

Years later, God chose the image of that scene to penetrate my heart. As the pastor softly read Jesus’s question to the cripple, “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6), I heard it directed toward me. I whispered, “Yes,” to Jesus and wept in surrender. Jesus knew of my slow spiral into emotional paralysis during decades of a stunting disorder—narcissistic abuse syndrome*.

I also heard the next words of Jesus to the invalid, “Get up. Pick up your mat and walk!” (v. 8). I wish my healing had happened instantaneously, like his. Instead, it required designated times for reflection, insight, education, and counseling along with a determination to pick up my emotional mat and walk—to grow, to change, and to engage with life differently.

My new walking skills require daily exercise so I do not fall back into old patterns of passivity and learned helplessness. They also allow me to proclaim God’s graces for all who come to Him ready to receive what He waits to give—healing.

Father, thank You for speaking to my heart through the cripple’s story and revealing that I also needed healing. Thank You for freeing my heart and teaching me how to walk forward, confident in Your freedom and Your plan for me. Be glorified each day of my new faith journey. In the name of Your Son, Jesus, I pray, amen.

© makingsenseofmylife.com

*MentalHealth.com