TURNING 38 AT THE SHEEP GATE

“Do you want to be healed?” –John 5:6

It’s my b-day, and I can’t believe that I’m this close to 40!!!  All I can ask is, “Where did time go?”  I’m always excited to approach another birthday, but honestly I want to slow the brakes on this thing.  Getting older comes with new discoveries and adventures mixed in with more growing pains.  But such is life.

For whatever reason, the passage about the man at the healing pool that was near the Sheep Gate has been on my mind ever since the fumes of my birthday were in the air.  I guess it’s because this crippled man was at this pool for 38 years and here I am turning 38 years old.  Of course, I’m probably the only person who would think of a crippled person in the bible for my birthday, but y’all should know me by now…LOL!  So here we go…

*Please read John 5:1-9 if you’re not familiar with the story about the man at the pool.

CONTENTMENT OR COMPLACENCY

It's not uncommon for us to be told that we should be content.  And it should be no surprise that the Word of God speaks of this as well (ex: 1 Timothy 6:6-8).  But when contentment is actually complacency in disguise, then we may have a problem.  I could be wrong about this, but I have reason to believe that the man at the pool had become complacent.  Grabbing the verses that follow his healing (vs. 10-14), we see Jesus speaking to him at a temple instead of at the pool.  It seems as though Jesus is indicating to him that he needs to be careful about being caught in sin again so that he can avoid being right back in the same or even a more deplorable state than he was in before.  There’s no indication of how this man got to be in a lame state of living, but it makes me wonder if this man had gotten to a place where he just gave up on trying to get to the pool of healing because he knew that it was because of his own actions that got him there in the first place.  I also wonder if he just wanted to appear like he wanted healing to keep on a look of striving even though deep down he may have concluded that he didn’t deserve healing.  Thus, 38 years later after being right at a place of healing, his story opens with him lying on his mat of affliction. 

If this is what he felt, I get it.  Here’s a peek into something that I journaled just about a month ago: “If I were at the Pool of Healing, I’m quite certain that the lame man and I would have been friends.  Both of us in our misery trying to look like we’re trying but knowing that our efforts are worthless.  Mostly because we put ourselves there and we deserve this less than life.”  Many times, I have felt like my efforts toward something better are worthless because there have been no real results after several attempts.  Or I feel that I don’t deserve to have some things even if the opportunity is within reach.  I’ll admit that I’ve found myself just going through the motions on countless occasions so that I can at least look like I’m trying so that those who may be looking on will at least give me an ‘A’ for effort.  I’ve even concluded within myself that, “This is it.  This is my life, so I have to accept it as it is.”  And then the welcome mat, or more so the mat of affliction, of my life no longer reads CONTENTMENT but is then replaced by one that boldly states COMPLANCENCY.

YES. NO. MAYBE SO.

With complacency in tow, we’ll return to the man at the pool.  Of all the people in this area where this man was, Jesus noticed him.  Not only that, but Jesus also came to him and asked him a question: “Do you want to be healed?” (vs. 6).  Hmmm…. let me think about this…ummm…yes!!  That’s the obvious answer to such a question, right?  But the man responds with more of a yes-ish.  He responds to Jesus by saying that he’s been trying to get to the pool that can heal him, but someone else always gets there before he does.  Maybe the man is afraid to say “yes” with no hesitation because he’s afraid of being disappointed—again.

Lord, if this ain’t me!  I know that I’ve been asked specific questions by others and by the Lord too, but if I feel a tinge of disappointment looming on the other end of my response, I find myself not giving a complete “yes” (when a “yes” makes sense) but I also don’t completely say “no” either.  If I say “no”, I may miss out on a real opportunity that may actually come to pass.  If I say “yes”, I may get another one-way ticket down the road that leads to nothing.  If the man at the pool was truly trying to avoid disappointment, then I absolutely understand.  Even when it’s Jesus asking the questions, as if He doesn’t already know what I’ll say, I sometimes—okay, often— give an indirect answer.  Being hopeful comes with risks and may come with a price—the price of being let down.  I know I’m not the only one who has experienced this, and I’m sure that many would agree that being disappointed can be really hard to get over depending on the circumstances.  So, if you ask me a question that could have multiple choice answers, don’t be too surprised if I give the infamous reply of: D—ALL THE ABOVE.

GET UP AND GO

Moving right along, or not so much if you’re the man at the pool, we reach the miracle point of this bible passage.  Despite the man’s deflected response, Jesus heals him anyway.  It’s like Jesus’s compassion toward him is saying, “I see you. You’ve done enough on your own.  Now, try this…something you haven’t tried before.” Jesus told him to take up the mat that he had been lying on all these years and walk.  Jesus didn’t reach down and help this man like He did Peter when he began to sink after walking on water.  Instead, He just spoke a command, and the man got up and did what he was told to do.  Jesus didn’t even elaborate on where this man should walk.  The fact that this man obeyed indicates that he must’ve had the right amount of faith that he had truly been healed.  Otherwise, he could’ve continued lying there on his mat with more excuses—being healed physically yet hindered by his doubts.  But he didn’t.  He decided to obey.

To be honest, I’m in awe of the man at the pool and his tenacity to just obey.  Most of the time when God wants me to do something in the obedience department, especially when the instructions seem too incomplete for my liking, I go to my overthinking mode of trying to fill in the “potholes” before I decide if I’ll move forward or not.  Here’s another piece of me from that same journal writing that I mentioned earlier: “Release is the name of the game.  Give to the Creator is where real living and winning dwells.  But I spend too much time looking for the instructions because I refuse to see and believe that it’s that simple.”  Thankfully I’m getting better with this.  I have to remember that the Lord only wants the best for me as He has encouraged me (and others) to live life abundantly, and He is working with me as He knows my efforts toward better and greater.  And like the man being told to get up on his own, the Lord always knows when I need to experience certain things without the assistance from others.  It’s like a butterfly fighting to emerge from its cocoon.  It gains its strength from the process.  No matter the means in which the Lord chooses to change the situations in my life, He will be there to watch over me every step of the way.

In the bible, the number 3 is often used to signify completeness, and the number 8 represents new beginnings.  The man at the pool was finally complete with his suffering with his handicap, and after Jesus healed him he was able to move on to a life full of new beginnings.  I do have many unanswered prayers, and I don’t know what year 38 will bring.  But I do look forward to the miracles that God has in store just for me as I will continue to strive to trust and obey the One who can make the lame walk again.

If you haven’t guessed it yet, Thanksgiving fell on my birthday this year.  It’s a day of great celebration, so grab a turkey leg, a cupcake, and a glass of lemonade and take some time to lay back and enjoy your day.  Happy Birthday to me and thank you for being one of my Lemonaders!!