It comes down to this question. It doesn’t matter how serious the issue. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve suffered with it. It doesn’t matter how many false starts or failed attempts you’ve had at addressing it. It doesn’t matter who’s supporting you or actively plotting against you. All wellness questions of life come down to this: Do you want to be well?
I admit, it’s a challenging question. It’s confrontational and often upsets people and makes them defensive. That’s why I want to make crystal clear that I’m not the first person to ask it. Jesus did. In context, he posed it to a man who had been disabled almost 40 years. John 5:6 tells us, “When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in his condition for a long time, he asked him, ‘Do you want to be well?’” Shouldn’t the answer have been obvious? You see me at the healing pool? You see my condition? Would you want to be sick?
Yet, it is a fair question. There is no better BS detector than the Lord Jesus. He has a knack for getting straight to the heart of the matter. The reality is that some (read some, not all) deal with chronic issues because they don’t really want to be well. They get sympathy for the sick role. They feel vindicated in their victimhood. They feel absolved from really showing up and trying in life because of whatever label or diagnosis they’ve fused their identity with. I know, I know. It’s a tough pill to swallow. But this dose of truth might be what finally heals you and set you free.
So, here we are kicking off the new year and I’m just as personally challenged as you are to consider this question. Whether it’s physical, emotional, or spiritual health you seek, the heart question that precedes it all is this: Do you want to be well?
If you could benefit from an honest personal inventory about where you are and your readiness for change, order your copy of my new paperback, Vitals Check Workbook.