Staying Well

Have you ever wondered what sin is keeping you form being well?

Later Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, "See, you have been made well! Do not sin any more, so that nothing worse happens to you." - John 5:14

In today's Gospel reading, John makes a point of showing us that we are partially, if not totally to blame for our wellbeing or lack of it.  After Jesus has cured the man who was crippled for nearly four decades, Jesus encounters the man again.

This second encounter in the temple where the man would have had to go to show himself to the priests to be declared clean, Jesus tells him to stay well.

Don't sin, so you will not encounter anything worse than what has already happened to you.  I imagine a doctor saying something like that.  Now that you have been healed, stay away from the things that got you here.

Do we listen?

Once we are well, we tend to find ourselves slipping back into our old patterns, unless the scare or fear is great enough.  We say we will do better, but do we?

Perhaps if instead of saying I need to lose some weight, and I think of my eating habits as sinful, I will change my ways.  Do you think that would work?

In other words, I need to stop helping the bad things that are destined to come my way if I continue doing what I am doing.

As Jesus said, I can see that in other people.  Why is it so hard to see it in myself?

So, here is the plan.  Stop overdoing it, whatever it may be, get well and stay well.  What do you think?  Can we do this?

I am going to try.  Remind me from time to time to let you know how I am doing.

More to come...