Almost four years ago, I wrote a blog originally titled “Do You Want to Get Well?” Since that article first posted, we have had the privilege of working with thousands more individuals, couples and families over the past six years of opening our doors at Rock Solid Families. When this article was originally published, COVID-19 wasn’t even a word in our vocabulary yet.
So yes, things have changed in the past four years including the state of many people’s personal wellness. What I wrote four years ago, however, still rings true. As a matter of fact, the need for healthy has never been greater. Every day, our phone rings with folks hurting physically, emotionally, and spiritually desperate for HELP and HOPE.
Sometimes, the need comes from a client’s choices like addiction or infidelity. Other times, it’s at the hands of someone else who has hurt them leaving them feeling betrayed, abused, or abandoned. In many instances, our clients come in feeling stuck and unable to see any way out, and then there are the few who don’t even want to try anymore. For them, things have gotten so hopeless they can’t see any light at the end of the tunnel.
One of our goals in our faith based coaching work is to help clients see that there is HELP and HOPE available. It’s promised in God’s word. Romans 8:28 reminds us of his promise, that in ALL things God works for the good of those who love him and have been called according to his purpose. But for many clients, that truth is hard to even fathom in their current circumstances. It’s hard to imagine anything good coming out of their pain and tears. Some have been dealing with their past trauma or living as a victim for so long, their pain has almost become part of the family.
That was the case for a lame man back in Jesus’ day who was lying by a healing pool in Bethesda. The pool from time to time would stir as the angel of the Lord came and healed whoever made it in first. This particular man had been paralyzed for 38 years and when Jesus met him by the pool, he had been there for a very long time waiting for someone to help. Can you imagine? In John 5, we see Jesus coming on the scene asking the lame man the all important question, “DO YOU WANT TO GET WELL?” The invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”
Aren’t we a lot like that lame man in Jesus’ day? I know I can be at times. There are days I just want to sit there with my “victim” badge and cry “Someone, anyone, please feel sorry for me! It’s a lot easier to wallow in my circumstances and sit in my pain than do the work to change my situation. It would almost be like losing a little piece of my identity. The invalid had excuse after excuse for Jesus why he hadn’t gone in that water to be healed. It had been 38 years, for goodness sake! You’d think that would be motivation enough to crawl or beg your way to the pool and be healed.
What about you? How long are you going to wear your “victim” badge? After all, everyone’s got something. Maybe you experienced abuse as a child or were bullied in school. Maybe, you struggle to this day with an addiction or learning disability. Maybe you are like many of our clients who have made some really bad decisions in the past and are still reeling from the natural consequences of their choices. That “ailment” doesn’t have to define you. You don’t have to be “lame” or “blind” forever. Jesus Christ asks us the same question he asked the paralyzed man by the pool thousands of years ago-”Do YOU want to get well?” And he extends the same offer of hope and healing to us today.
Choosing to pursue healthy and healing is not only important personally, but it’s also critical if you are a parent. What are your children seeing in you-a victim or victor? I ask my clients who are also parents that question all the time. We are raising too many victims in our world today. “It’s not my fault” or “No one will help me” are only excuses that perpetuate victimhood. Don’t let yourself or your children play the blame game any longer. It’s time to search your heart and ask yourselves the all important question-”Do I want to get well?” Then, in faith, pick up your mat and start walking
If you don’t know where to start, give us a call at 812-576-7625 (ROCK) and take that first step. We’re here to help!