Today, we continue this journey through a very motivational scripture in the Bible. We will discuss the next step – Take positive action!
“Jesus told him, ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!’ Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking!” John 5:8-9a
This week, we are talking about taking positive action. After hearing the excuses and knowing that this man has a life that does not match his reality just waiting for him to receive, Jesus SPOKE direct, sharp words of instruction:
Stand up
Pick up
Walk!
Let’s break down these 3 steps and apply them to your our life.
Stand up
There comes a time in your wellness journey when you realize that ‘enough is enough!’ I have been in this position long enough and I want MORE! Have you ever taken a ride down the “Lazy River” in an amusement park? You just allow the flow of the river to take you where IT wants to take you. Now, imagine that your child has gotten too far away from you and you want to get closer to them quickly. What do you do? YOU STAND UP! You want to go from where you are to where you want to be immediately, right?
Friend, I have to share this very plainly…
You have been sitting down accepting the ebb and flow of the lazy river of life. When you are ready to go a different direction, you make a conscious decision and plant your feet and your faith for this shift. This man, who was an invalid for 38 years and living in the place where healing is stirred, DECIDED that today was the day his healing would come. I know he decided because he stepped out of his comfort zone and stood up after lying by the pool most of his life. He took positive action!
Pick up
What has been your crutch for most of your life? What is that thing that you have leaned on to support your lack of action? For this man, it was his bed perfectly positioned by the Pool of Bethesda. He was close enough to the pool, yet just far enough to make excuses for his lack of effort. Personally, I have used my lack of knowledge in a particular subject to be my crutch – “I can’t do business because I don’t know marketing! Everyone else knows so much more than me!” The truth is – I can do business and be successful because I have DECIDED to learn more about marketing and perfect my craft. I have decided to take that comfortable fear and keep moving forward with it. This invalid picked up his sleeping mat (his crutch) and moved forward from his old place of comfort towards his new belief system.
Walk
When you close your eyes and imagine your ideal life, what do you see? How far off is that vision from your physical reality? That gap, however large or small, is your walk! In order to walk, you need belief, direction and confidence. All of these components are within you right now. There is NO THING you need to wait for and NO ONE to wait on! Just walk…
Thirty-eight years is a very long time to allow excuses and fear to shape your life…
One day is too long to allow excuses and fear to shape your life…
Today, choose to stand up, pick up your ‘mat’ and walk!
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