December 2018

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"Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he has all wisdom and power. . . . He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars. He reveals deep and mysterious things and knows what lies hidden in darkness, though he is surrounded by light. I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors, for you have given me wisdom and strength."
Daniel 2: 20, 21b - 23a


Stirring the Waters

   

    As most readers here know, I teach writing. In preparation, I do a lot of reading to build my own writing skills, so I can, in turn, pass these on to my students. After all, we can't teach what we don't know. For that purpose, I'm reading, Reflective Practice: Writing and Professional Development by Gillie Bolton, in which I came across the following quote: "We don't see things as they are; we see them as we are." It hit me how true this is in all areas of our lives—family, work, friends, our spiritual lives. In all these areas, without a deliberate attempt to do otherwise, we see things as we are.

    There's a story in the Gospel of John about a sick man who lay on his bed by the pool of Bethesda for thirty-eight years where multitudes "of sick, blind, lame, [and] paralyzed" people waited for "the moving of the water" (John 5: 3). At certain times, an angel "stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had" (vs. 4). No wonder there were so many people there!

    So, why had this particular sick man been poolside for thirty-eight years without any change in his condition?

    Jesus knew why, and so, he asked the man this question, "Do you want to be made well?" (vs. 6). I imagine the question being asked with emphasis on the word "want." Do you want to be made well? Because, really, that was the crux of the problem; the man didn't want to be made well.

    "The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me" (vs. 7).

    Well, okay, that makes sense if you've only been there a couple of weeks and don't quite understand how this whole angel stirring up the waters thing works. But the man had been there for 38 years! Think how many miraculous healings he must have witnessed during that time! Thirty-eight years. Imagine. The man's excuse-making reply, and his shifting the blame to others for the lack of his own healing, indicate that he wanted to go on hanging out by that pool, seeing himself as a victim, and complaining about his lot in life. He saw things as he was, instead of as they really were. It was his regular practice, his way of life. He had no desire for anything to change.

    And now for the hard part. In what areas of my life do I do the same thing? What if I, in seeing things as I am, instead of as they really are, am unable to see my own failings? Do I have the courage to ask God to show me any practice in my life that doesn't lead to wholeness, to wellness, to peace? And will He? Yes. "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him" (James 1:5).

    Do I want to be able to help others experience healing? I can't teach what I don't know. . . . So, there it is, my potential healing pool. Will I step down into those reflective waters? All I have to do is ask, and I'll be shown what I need to change. Do I want to be made well? Do I?

    How about you?


Daye Phillippo

December 2018