Stuck No More
Have you ever seen a situation happening and wondered why the person involved would stay in such a terrible place? It may have been a friend or family member stuck in an abusive marriage. As an outsider all you could say is “Just leave. You don’t have to stay here! Something better is just around the corner.” It seemed so simple, but your friend stayed stuck.
Often times the fear of the unknown is far more scary than what we know. For someone trapped in an abusive relationship leaving may appear to be the safest choice to someone looking in from the outside. But for the one trapped they know what to expect where they are and there is a little comfort in that. On the other hand, leaving opens an entire new and uncertain world.
When I was so deeply entrenched in addiction I longed for freedom. I had lived so much of my life hiding, covering my hurts and mess ups with alcohol and drugs. I was scared to death of life with out a place to hide. Fear of the unknown and something new were greater for me than the desire to be free.
Jesus picks a man out of hundreds of folks to walk up to and engage in John 5. This man had be crippled and unable to walk for thirty-eight years. He was trapped sitting next to a pool that bubbled healing waters. If he could only get in the water at the correct time he would be healed. The problem was he couldn’t move himself quickly enough to get into the water in time. This man was trapped in a no-win cycle. He was stuck and needed supernatural help.
I have often wondered why Jesus chose this man. Jesus had recently spoken of living water with a lady by a well. (John 4) Water that would never stop flowing and never stop healing. Water full of grace and mercy. The irony of Jesus talking with an outcast woman trapped in a cycle of destruction about water that is alive and then standing next to pools of healing water, but being the true source of healing blows my mind!
Jesus understands you and I can only go so far. We need help moving past our fear of the unknown. Jesus knows how hurt we are. He also knows we are more comfortable in our hurt and brokenness than we can acknowledge. So, He meets us right in our misery and showers us with grace beyond words and mercy beyond comprehension.
Today Jesus is standing right beside you and He is calling out, “The time has arrived when dead men and women will hear the voice of the Son of God and, hearing will come alive.” (John 5:26) Let go of your fear just a little and let Jesus do the rest! Perhaps you are focused on the seemingly unsurmountable obstacle in front of you that you cannot see a way around. Do not worry about the outward healing. Allow Jesus to heal you from the inside.
“Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free.” (Psalms 118:5)
“Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise.” (Jeremiah 17:14)