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hurt in life is inevitable; staying hurt is a choice. You can decide to
remain a victim by dwelling on how things should have been, or use the
experience to grow stronger and wiser. At the Pool of Bethesda Jesus met
a man who'd been lying paralysed on a mat for thirty-eight years. When
Jesus discovered how long he'd been there, He asked, 'Do you want to get
well?' After thirty-eight years, the chances are this man saw his
handicap as part of his identity. He'd been incapacitated for so long
that he thought like a victim: '...I don't have anybody to put me in the
pool...' (John 5:7 TM). Translation: 'Nobody cares.' But Jesus did, and
He commanded him to get up and walk. Now, it took faith for this man to
overcome those old ingrained feelings of hopelessness and self-pity,
but when he obeyed Jesus he was healed on the spot. God never forces
healing on you, even when you're hurting. You must want to get well, and
make a conscious decision that by God's grace you can. Let's face it,
the church is made up of flawed human beings who sometimes speak without
thinking and hurt others. But that's no reason for leaving the church!
'...You're part of the body of Christ...' (Colossians 3:15 CEV). Apart
from it you've no function, no food supply, and no fulfilment, so you
begin to die spiritually. The truth is, it takes the same energy to
choose healing as it does to choose helplessness--but the results are
very different. One leaves you paralysed by events, the other gives you
hope for the future. Which one will you choose?
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