When Your Want-to is Worn Out
“When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” John 5:6
It's downright embarrassing to disclose the lengths I went to recently to get seen by a dentist. A tooth that clamored for consideration soon demanded my full attention. I put off my unease of the dentist chair until I couldn't stand the discomfort another minute. Pain is a powerful motivator, and I finally gave in. I was desperate.
X-rays confirmed my suspicions: a tooth with a 20-year-old root canal deteriorated beyond repair, requiring antibiotics and a visit to an oral surgeon. It wasn't the news I hoped to hear, but I wanted to do whatever it took to get well. I'll confess; I'll drive to Timbuktu for a doctor when I'm in excruciating pain, but I don't always pursue God's prescription to treat matters of the heart. I know He can do it, I'm just not sure I want to. Sometimes I'm flat-out stubborn, and sometimes I'm flat-out worn out.
When we nurse damaged relationships or screaming emotions, we tend to ignore things that need attention because it’s too painful. If we’re not careful, we become too calloused or worn out to try.
We get worn out fighting with a strong-willed child.
We get worn out waiting for the apology we think we deserved and never got.
We get worn out struggling with a distant spouse.
We get worn out holding onto hurt until it festers and becomes an infection requiring intense treatment. Unaddressed disappointment is poison to the soul. When we ignore things out of fear, we grapple with the pain of crumbling emotions.
When our “want-to” is worn out, it’s tempting to write something off as beyond repair because the cure for our pain requires surrender.
In John 5, Jesus encountered a crippled man, lying mere inches from the waters of the Pool of Bethesda. alongside many others who wanted the healing properties they believed the waters offered. This man lived as an invalid for thirty-eight years. Worn out from 38 years of missed opportunities, he had nothing left to offer Jesus but excuses. “People go in ahead of me…no one helps me in.” Before Jesus offered the cure, He asked a question: "Do you want to get well?" Jesus did in one moment what the man couldn’t do in a lifetime.
Jesus offers us the cure of patience when we're worn out from fighting, forgiveness when we're worn out from waiting, and grace when we're worn out from struggling. He invites us to receive the remedy for our numb, tired hearts. What do we do when our “want-to” is worn out?
The cure for a worn-out want-to is surrender. Surrender starts by following the same principles Jesus offers the despondent man in John 5:
Get up. Resist the temptation to concede defeat to the sting of pain and allow God to heal you. Jesus invites us to get up out of a victim mentality and get into His perspective.
Pick up your mat. In those four words, Jesus told the broken man, “You don’t belong here. Look to Me as your Healer and become who I created you to be.” Leave behind the paralysis of faulty beliefs by receiving God’s truth.
Walk. What action step is God is calling you to take? Forgive others. Ask for grace. Stop doubting. Lay down pride. Embrace a fresh start by trusting in God's Word for guidance and the Holy Spirit for empowerment.
Just as Jesus restored a broken man, He can revive a worn out want-to. Don’t put it off another moment. Step into surrender and see what God will do.
