Pick Up Your Mat and Walk

Imagine being paralyzed, lying beside a pool that supposedly had healing powers, along with crowds of others who were blind or sick, for thirty-eight years, just hoping to make into the pool at the correct moment. That is exactly what the Bible describes in John 5, as we see a paralytic man lying beside the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem.

John 5:6-9 (NLT) says, "When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, He asked him, 'Would you like to get well?' 'I can’t, sir,' the sick man said, 'for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.' Jesus told him, 'Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!' Instantly the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking!"

I love that Jesus not only healed the man and told him to get up, He also told him to carry his mat and the man immediately did it! Anyone that saw the healed man walking around would know, because of the mat, that something amazing had happened in his life. The mat would most likely spur on conversations and allow the former paralytic the opportunity to tell others about the miracle-worker, Jesus. 

Even the Jewish leaders noticed the mat and told the man he wasn't allowed to carry anything on the Sabbath. This opened up the door for him to explain how he had been healed and who had done the healing.

 Jesus healed the man because He cared for him and wanted to change his life, but the fact that He asked him to carry his mat, must mean that part of this miracle was about all the people this story would touch.

The same is true for us. When Jesus heals us or performs some other type of miracle in our lives, no matter how big or small, there is power in our testimony. Jesus is telling us, "Pick up your mat and walk!" 

Most of us do not have a literal mat to carry but we do have a testimony that has the potential to draw others to Jesus and help them find the miracle they need. 

For me, my "mat" is the story of my abortion that held me in bondage and shame for 17 years. Once I allowed God into that story, He healed me and set me free. I believe God desires for me to carry this "mat" so that others can see that He is a God that loves, heals, and changes lives. 

I'm not saying everyone needs to write a book or tell their stories from a stage, but I do believe we should all be willing to speak about God's work in our lives, when given the opportunity. Hiding our "mats" in the closet doesn't help anyone. 

Today, I encourage you to "Pick up your mat and walk!" You never know who you'll see along the way that may need to hear your story.

Tori