Take Up Your Mat and Walk

Take Up Your Mat and Walk

“…”Get up! Pick up your mat and walk!” “

John 5:8b

Many times in my life, before I really knew the power of Christ in my life, I would pray (sort of) for the Lord to change the all of things that I saw as the obstacles to my happiness.

“If only she was nicer to me.” “If only he would just be honest and faithful to me.” “If they could just act right..!” –Then my life would be better. I would have more confidence. I would be successful. I would really be happy! As soon as those people changed, or just left my little part of the world, my whole life would be better.

But even when everything around me changed, I was still seeing the same problems. Or the problems that I had got worse. Why weren’t things better? I was a nice person, when I wanted to be. I worked hard, most of the time and was a pretty obedient daughter. Why did it always seem that everyone else’s lives were happier than mine? Well there were for the bad break-ups and divorces that left many of my friends as single parents. And there were also the sickness, death, job loss and other struggles that I saw around me. Still everybody else was Happy! Weren’t they?

Thankfully, as I learn more about myself through reading and studying God’s Word; I have come to realize that being happy isn’t the point, and like Dorothy in the” Wizard of Oz”, I had always held the key to how my life was lived. I could choose to participate in one of God’s greatest miracles. I could willingly ask Him to change me! And as I felt Him work in me, I began to feel a joy that was far more that I ever imagined.

As I read the many miracles that Christ performed during his time on this earth, there are three things that I saw happening.

1- Someone asked for help.
2- Jesus told them what to do.
3- They obeyed and experienced the miracle!

What are we doing when we ask for the Lord to help us? Do we pray and then sit and wait to see what He will do? Or are we keeping watch and listening for His instructions, so we can obey everything He is telling us to do?

I may never be the woman that I used to think I was supposed to be, but I can become a better woman than I am; as long as I remember that I have to be the one to, pick up my mat and walk!

Written by

Lynda Kinnard