Jamey's Newsletter: Sunday, March 10, 2024
For thirty-eight years, he watched as others jumped in before him. Thirty-eight years is a long time to wait your turn. Do you want to get well? No small talk, no sermon, no introductions. Simply, “Do you want to get well?”
Do you want to get well? This is a question for the man by the pool, who may have had his identity wrapped up in his suffering.
If we are honest, sometimes it is easier to stay the victim than do the work that healing requires. Taking up your mat means your suffering will no longer draw the attention it once did. It means that your identity is no longer wrapped up in being the desperate one by the pool.
“Do you want to be well?” Jesus asks. The man doesn’t respond with a simple “Yes.” Instead, he launches into a defensive tirade, listing reasons why he believes he cannot be well.
We all have our pool of Bethesdas. We all have things we have grown comfortable living with - hate, indifference, pride, judgment, victimhood - things that keep our heartsick. Take up your mat means you got to leave all that behind. But then again, do you want to be well? Or do you like the attention you are getting?
(Based on The Gospel of John chapter 5)
Jamey
(Music performed by the Modern Worship Team of Gainesville First United Methodist Church, Gainesville, Georgia)
Weekly Prayer
Lord, we often cling to our own pools of despair—our hate, indifference, pride, judgment, and victimhood. These things have become familiar, even comfortable, in their painful way. They have shaped our identities, kept us bound, and sometimes, we confess, we have reveled in the attention. Give us the courage to say, "Yes, Lord, I want to be well." Help us to trust in Your power to transform, even when the path is uncertain, even when taking up our mat means leaving behind the familiar for the promise of something greater. In Jesus name, Amen!
Wisdom Nugget: Healing often means letting go of the attention our suffering brings us. It's a challenging, yet liberating journey towards finding our worth not in our victimhood, but in our victory over it.
A Question to Consider: Reflect on the areas of your life where you might have become comfortable in your suffering or challenges. What aspects of your identity have you tied to these struggles, and how might they be holding you back from seeking or accepting healing and growth?
Meme of the Week
Dad Jokes
What did the horse say after it tripped? Help! I’ve fallen and I can’t giddyup!
Why do cows wear bells? Because their horns don’t work!
Photo Taken By Me
Book I Read This Week
Video I Found Interesting
(Who else woke up on Saturday morning’s and sat in front of the television with a bowl of cereal watching cartoons?)
Found Interesting on Social Media
Podcast Worth Listening to:
Articles that caught my eye: (Not much reading this past week)
What have you been reading?
If you ever come across an article, book, podcast, or video that is interesting, send it my way. I am always open to suggestions.
Happening at Gainesville First United Methodist Church
Around North Georgia
Weekly Blessing and/or Quotes
May the Lord grant you the strength to rise, to take up your mat, and to walk into a new chapter of life, leaving behind the chains of comfort in suffering, the identity wrapped in victimhood, and the shadows of doubt and fear.
