"Do you want to be well?"
Are you tired? Are you tired of trying to hold everything together? Are you tired of trying to put on a brave face? Are you tired of trying? Are you tired of feeling like you are doing everything alone? God is saying to you, "You are not alone; I am with you." He is with you, sitting with you, and asking you, "Do you want to be well?"
In today's Gospel reading, there is a man lying on the floor who is unable to walk, and Jesus asks him that question. The man did not say "yes" or "no," but rather did what I often do - try to avoid giving a straight answer, and making excuses. The man said that no one helped him into the pool. What are my excuses? Do I allow excuses to keep me from getting closer to the Father? Do I allow excuses to keep me from getting closer to others? Do I make excuses instead of reaching out?
Oftentimes when we see someone who we love and care for struggling, we wish we could help them. Sometimes we even wish we can suffer for them. But, we also know that we all have to learn, and often suffering and pain is part of the process. However, the good part, even though many people neglect it, is that we do not need to do it alone. We have family and friends, and we have God. They all want to help and encourage and support. But, we need to take a step as well - we need to ask for it. In His great love for us, God created us and gave us the gift of free will. We need to want His help. We need to ask for it. We need to receive it with open arms.
The Father is reaching out to you today, will you answer Him honestly? Tell Him everything - your worries, concerns, anxieties, problems, joys, sorrows, everything, and then ask Him to give you all the graces you need to carry your crosses, embrace your suffering, and weather the storms of your life, and ask too for the grace to be grateful, knowing that everything that should come to you is a gift, and though it may seem dark at times, the light is never too far off. Keep looking up.
In today's Gospel reading, there is a man lying on the floor who is unable to walk, and Jesus asks him that question. The man did not say "yes" or "no," but rather did what I often do - try to avoid giving a straight answer, and making excuses. The man said that no one helped him into the pool. What are my excuses? Do I allow excuses to keep me from getting closer to the Father? Do I allow excuses to keep me from getting closer to others? Do I make excuses instead of reaching out?
Oftentimes when we see someone who we love and care for struggling, we wish we could help them. Sometimes we even wish we can suffer for them. But, we also know that we all have to learn, and often suffering and pain is part of the process. However, the good part, even though many people neglect it, is that we do not need to do it alone. We have family and friends, and we have God. They all want to help and encourage and support. But, we need to take a step as well - we need to ask for it. In His great love for us, God created us and gave us the gift of free will. We need to want His help. We need to ask for it. We need to receive it with open arms.
The Father is reaching out to you today, will you answer Him honestly? Tell Him everything - your worries, concerns, anxieties, problems, joys, sorrows, everything, and then ask Him to give you all the graces you need to carry your crosses, embrace your suffering, and weather the storms of your life, and ask too for the grace to be grateful, knowing that everything that should come to you is a gift, and though it may seem dark at times, the light is never too far off. Keep looking up.
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