“Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”

— John 5:7

Do we sometimes hold back from accepting Jesus’ transforming power in our lives? Have we become so used to struggling that we can’t imagine things going another way? Sometimes the crutch we know is easier than the walk we haven’t experienced, and that crutch can become a convenient excuse. It’s often easier to rely on the ways we are familiar with, rather than trying a new way that means change and transformation.

When Jesus asks this man if he wants to be made well, he does not answer with a yes—only a reason why it can’t happen. He’s had 38 years of only seeing the story one way; the thought of anything else hasn’t entered his thinking. But Jesus is offering so much more than this man can fathom or imagine.

When Jesus asks us this question, do we limit him on the basis of our experience, or do we have hope that he can do something more? When we are confronted with the question of change, of thinking bigger than we have imagined before, can we say yes?

When we begin to understand that the one asking the question is our Lord and Savior, our Creator, our healer, and our friend, who loves us and cares about the details of our lives, can we say anything but yes? Today is a day to imagine what the Lord can do if we don’t hold back.

Lord Jesus, forgive us when we limit you to our own thoughts and ideas. Help us to see with your eyes and to say yes when you ask. Amen.