Learning to cope with our circumstances sounds like the thing we should do. So we often rely on coping mechanisms to face the chains we feel because we CAN rely on them. Our favorite coping strategies feel constant, consistent and familiar. We always call our mom and she makes us feel good about whatever stumped us in our day. We shut our mouths, shut down and shut out that thing that we cannot handle right now, stonewalling further communication about it. We find ourselves at our favorite coffee shop drinking our fifth or sixth or seventh cup of coffee for the day (or at the wine bar), to up our bad mood so we don’t have to actually deal with an issue.
A man was by the Bethesda pool who had been ill for thirty-eight years. Jesus, seeing this man lying there and knowing that he had already been in that condition for a long time, said to him, “Do you want to get well?” The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool.” Jesus said to him, “Get up, pick up your pallet and walk.” Immediately the man became well and picked up his pallet and began to walk. John 5: 5-8
Jesus knew this man’s physical and spiritual condition and the right question at the right time for him was, “Do you want to get well?” No matter the man’s abilities or lack of resources, Jesus focused on his state of mind. He seemed to think that this bound the man to his bed far more tightly than his physical inability. Since his mind was chained in captivity, he was oppressed by his circumstances and his recovery was hampered. His focus and way of coping was to focus on what others were not doing for him, not what he might do. And not that Jesus might break those chains!
The way we try to cope often hardens a highway of habitual thought and limits a full range of recovery that we dare not dream of. Sometimes, it seems easier to follow that highway into something we are familiar with, even though we know it’s not good for us, than to try a new road.
Funny thing about habits:
They are hard to make and hard to break.
Bad habits leave an unsavory taste in our mouths, like sin.
Time and focus are keys to breaking up a habit that is bad for us and replacing it with a healthier one.
Face that chained habit and pick it up with a sober answer to Jesus’ question, “Do you want to get well?”
We must want it. We know where to start. We must answer the soft love in His eyes and pick it up.
What kind of chains or bad habits hamper you as you try to move forward in life?
How much do you want to get well and change?
What can you do tonight or tomorrow to get started? Or how can you reinforce what you are already doing during your fast?
Make an appointment with yourself and Jesus, step out of the pool, and pick up your pallet.
Dearest Jesus, Your desire for my healthy living is the constant and consistent thing I want to rely on. Help me take what is familiar in our relationship and tie it to unfamiliar but new ways of living for You, that are more spiritually healthy. Amen.
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