A Reflection On Change

When I need to be ready to leave old ways behind

Jesus approaches a man who has been an invalid for thirty-eight years. The Son of God, with all of His insight into peoples’ hearts, comes to him with what seems like a no-brainer of a question. “Would you like to get well?”

Jesus knows that sometimes, as much as we think we want change, we’re comfortable with the status quo. We say we want to be delivered of our sins, but we still look for ways to be tempted by them. We ask to be filled with His Spirit, but we’re scared to death of what He’ll have us do. We want to change, but we don’t want to change. We’re divided souls.

Jesus comes to us with the same pointed question: “Would you like to get well?” We must be prepared for radical change if we want a real encounter with Him. We must be willing to leave old ways behind. If we really want to know Him, we must first know that nothing will ever be the same again.

When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?”

John 5:6