Change is hard at the best of times. But it is particularly challenging when we have been in the same condition for an extended period of time.
Jesus came upon a man who had been lame for 38 years. By that time, it was not merely a matter of being unable to walk. This man had a “lame” mindset. He viewed life from the vantage point of being lame. He earned his living as a lame beggar. His hopes and aspirations were colored by his crippled state. He had been in that condition for so long that he knew of no other way to live.
Perhaps knowing that lameness determined much of the man’s identity, Jesus began by asking him if he wanted to be made well. Being healed would mean a total change of life. He’d no longer be able to depend on others the way he used to. He would have no excuse for begging for a living. He had spent years with invalid friends by the Pool of Bethesda. He would have to say good by to them, and his former life. It might not have been much of a life, but it had been the only one he knew.
At times Christ passes by our life and asks us a similar question. Do we want to remain the way we are? Some of our character traits and habits have become so ingrained in us, it seems unimaginable that we could ever change. We grow so used to our weaknesses and bad habits that it requires a heavenly crowbar to free us from them.
Have you been a long time in your condition? Are you prepared for, or even desirous, for Christ to set you free?