“Do you want to get well?”

I always wondered why Jesus would ask the man near the pool that question. (See the story in the fifth chapter of John.)

The man had been there over 30 years. Every time the waters “were stirred” he tried to get the healing, but others beat him to it. Of course he wanted to get well!

Right?

Buck from Ice Age 3

I was watching one of the Ice Age sequels the other day. (Actually, my kids were. I was in the kitchen nearby making supper.) Throughout the whole adventure, one of the sidekicks (Buck) was devoted to his lifelong quest to defeat the big, bad, dinosaur. Near the end of the movie he finally does it.

He is ecstatic.

And then he is lost and unsure of himself.

Buck put all of his energy and focus into this one thing. For years he devoted his life to getting rid of this enemy who had injured him and caused so much pain.

When he won, he lost his purpose.

Jesus’ question makes sense now

All of a sudden, Jesus’ question to the man near the pool of Bethesda made sense.

For 38 years, the man had been trying to get well. His whole life was centered around this identity as a sick man. His focus every day was to get into the healing water first so he could become better. What a drastically different life he would have if he accepted Jesus’ healing.

He chose to take the offered healing. His life, I am sure, was never the same again.

In Ice Age 3 Dawn of the Dinosaurs, as Buck was sadly taking the first step into his new life, he heard the roar of his archenemy who had somehow survived the (non)fatal fall. His face lit up. He happily went back to the life he knew. It was a hard, painful, and dangerous life, but it was familiar.

It’s a common dilemma  

Like the man at the pool and Buck, you have a choice to make.

Do you want to get well?

Many patients I’ve taken care of in the Emergency Department over the years do not actually want to get well.

They want to be out of crisis.

But they don’t want to be well—not if it means a shift from their familiar routines. Not even if the familiar is painful.

They want to keep fighting. They want to keep applying bandaids and quick fixes to the problem. 

A few of the people I saw in the ED wanted to get well. They truly wanted to be better.

How about you? Do you want to get better?

Many women I talk to dream about losing some weight. They long for more energy. They desire to be healthy role models for their kids. All of these are possible.

The question is: Do you want to get better?

If your answer is “YES!” then sign up below to be notified when enrollment opens for my next group coaching program: 6-week Holistic Reboot.

If you are not yet sure what your honest answer is, that’s ok. Take a day or two and really search your heart and mind for what you want. When you are ready to make a change (scary as it may seem) I’ll be here rooting for you and ready to help you figure out how to make that happen.

Share this with anyone who has been struggling.