Get up, pick up your pallet and walk.” —John 5:8
I have this theory: I think most of us struggle with at least one big thing in life. For me, it’s fear. Fear trips me up over and over. It’s weird. If I allow even one pip-squeak of fear to tiptoe through my thoughts, it stirs up others. What if my mind goes blank when I’m speaking in front of a crowd of people? What if this mole isn’t just a mole? What if…? What if…? What if…?
Fear has been my enemy for as long as I can remember. When I’m really honest with myself, I have to admit that it feels more natural to worry and be afraid. Maybe I get charged on the energy. Who knows? Sometimes—many times—I’ll write in my prayer journal, “Jesus, I know I must be wearing You out with this same old, same old.” And I sense Him smiling at me, laughing in a kind, relaxed sort of way.
As I read these words from John 5:8, I can almost hear Him say: “Get up, pick up your pallet, and walk, Julie. You don’t have to stay in fear, all huddled under the sheets today. You’ve been stuck here on your pallet before, remember? Get up, girl. Get out of that sickbed. You have a life to live. There’s freedom, if you want it.”
When I choose to take Jesus’s hand and let Him lead me, the fear scrams. Every single time.
Lord, I’m reaching for Your hand today. Let’s dance again.
Is there something you return to again and again? Jealousy, perhaps, or anger? Visualize it at the foot of the cross, and leave it there.
