Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and
walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, and
so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath;
the law forbids you to carry your mat.”
But he replied, “The man who made me well said to
me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ”
So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you
to pick it up and walk?” The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for
Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there. Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him,
“See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” The
man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him
well. – John 5:8-15 (NIV)
The lame man and his mat can be looked at as an example for us today.
Perhaps we're not physically paralyzed but we're immobile in our emotions, thoughts, finances, relationships, careers, education, etc. but we can identify at some point in our lives being unable to move for whatever reason.
The King James version of this text is a more forceful sounding translation that reads, "Wilt thou be made whole?" That simply means, "do you want to be made well?" And for most if not all of us, the answer is yes but the idea of and commitment to change are daunting. Hence the man gave Jesus a myriad of reasons he was not able to be made whole. Our circumstances are known, regardless of how private we try to keep our lives – people can identify that we have a condition or multiple conditions. Jesus knew this man's condition, and engaged with him for the purpose of: (1) healing him and (2) so word can get out that the healer of our respective conditions has arrived.
The King James version of this text is a more forceful sounding translation that reads, "Wilt thou be made whole?" That simply means, "do you want to be made well?" And for most if not all of us, the answer is yes but the idea of and commitment to change are daunting. Hence the man gave Jesus a myriad of reasons he was not able to be made whole. Our circumstances are known, regardless of how private we try to keep our lives – people can identify that we have a condition or multiple conditions. Jesus knew this man's condition, and engaged with him for the purpose of: (1) healing him and (2) so word can get out that the healer of our respective conditions has arrived.
If Jesus saw you during your commute to work, waiting to pick-up your kids (or in whatever your routine could be) and he approached and commanded you to take your pocketbook and move forward with your life – what would you do? This is the year of opportunity and the open door and we must pick up our things and walk through it. Many of us are suffering from "learned helplessness" – a condition where even when we're given total freedom and access we stay in a confined space due to bad experiences, failure and hurt; because we've been hurt before, we stop trying. Learned helplessness is linked to depression, shyness, phobias, anxiety and loneliness. We're getting ready to celebrate Christ's resurrection over death. Because of His love for us we're completely free, but we will not experience that freedom if we're operating in helplessness. Come out of the lame situation that may have you feeling depression and helpless by picking up what is yours and moving forward or moving out – whichever action is required.
3 points about walking in emotional wholeness
we can learn from the lame man's experience
1. Walk in emotional wholeness continuously and be consistent to the best of your ability. We strive for perfection. Whether we
tarry for it or it’s a seemingly instant change, its up to us to decide and
take steps to really live out a lifestyle of emotional wholeness. Similar to marriage being a decision to love, as individuals its our decision
to walk in wholeness.
2. Acknowledge God. In all our ways we’re to acknowledge Him
and that includes in our emotional healing. We don’t have to tell all of our
business but if we deny Him now, He will deny us later. In verse 14, Jesus
warned the man about sinning. His sin was not openly acknowledging who really
healed him. God is above political correctness, although we use wisdom… there’s
people waiting to hear how we were made whole. For people who
will never open a Bible, we are the living Testament. There's the Old Testament, the New Testament and then there's Our Testament. What do our lives say about God to others who are watching?
3. Be ready to pick up and walk in wholeness regardless of the
state you’re in today or have found yourself in for a period of time—regardless
of age, God can walk by at anytime and do the miraculous in your life. In
verses 8 and 9 "Then Jesus said to him, 'Get up! Pick up your mat and
walk.' At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked." Jesus
commands the man. He does not reason with him, console him, offer him money or
advice. He commands a lame man to GET UP. When opportunity comes, be ready to get up.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank You for emotional wholeness you bring to our lives and the ability to change. In Jesus' name, help us to GET UP and walk in emotional freedom and walk through the open doors you've set before us in this season. We thank you for emotional healing and a renewed mind in Jesus' name, Amen.
For additional prayer visit:
http://tabernacleofpraisemin.org/ or call 781-963-5300.
About the author
Sharon has a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy. She combines her experience as an art director, understanding of healthy child development and therapeutic interventions to offer interactive art and talk therapy to clients. Sharon is a wife and mother who is passionate about family life and early childhood development and education. Sharon is known for her commitment to God, excellence and family; comedic wit and ability to empathize with others. "Love you to life!"
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