When the Dense Fog Lifts
That morning something shifted inside me.
The fog lifted a little. I could see certain aspects of life as I had never seen them before. No, I wasn’t in a – slow-down, fog-light-on – picturesque scene in nature. Instead, it was my life. Spiritually, I was moving forward in life with as much “foggy” clarity and didn’t realize it. 1 Corinthians 13:12
Then it happened – the ah-ha moment – and it was a game-changer.
These two little words blew up my mind. “Get up.” John 5:8
It was one of my first times in a small group at church studying the story of Jesus and a man who had been sick for thirty-eight years. Jesus asked the chronically ill man a very straightforward question, “Do you want to get well?” John 5:6 You’d think it should have been an easy question to answer, but the sick man’s response to Jesus told another story.
It was everything, but yes. Because unfortunately, the ill man didn’t see a clear path to yes.
The man had been sick so long that instead of a resounding “yes” to Jesus’ question, he could see only one way, and that way was too hard. He saw mountainous roadblocks to that one path which created envy and discouragement when he couldn’t reach out for help, have it happen at the right timing, or do it himself. John 5:7
Yet, Jesus walked into this man’s story, and with simple obedience to Jesus’ command, the ill man got up. And walked away from a chronically unhealthy way of life.
As Jesus always does, He cut through the chaos then ordered the healing steps. He blew up the excuses, the reasonings, the “traditional” path to healing when He told the man to get up, take his mat (or bed) and walk. In essence, Jesus says to take it upon yourself to rise, get off the bed or couch and make progress.
And by Jesus’ power, at that moment, the chronically ill man was healed. Healed first by the presence of Jesus – the man didn’t even know His name. Jesus graciously healed the man first and later provided the truth he needed to keep him well. John 5:14
In the same way, Jesus graciously entered into my fog first, lifted it, and then provided truth. The revelation of truth resonated as the tiny seeds landed on the tender soil of my heart. Matthew 13:8 Truth bubbled up in my conscious thought as the group I participated in talked.
If Jesus did that for me, He can do it for you.
I never realized the extent to which I took on the role of rescuer. I was someone who took responsibility away from the responsible person. And it was unhealthy enmeshment which pointed to unclear boundaries between us.
We can often see someone else’s need for healing while failing to see our own. We are kinda built like that – to see everyone else stuff before we see our own. Matthew 7:5 We both received something we thought we needed from each other, but it was a counterfeit arrangement. We were never meant to fulfill those roles; God was.
We try to lift things and control things – we are never meant to lift or control. And the unhealthy boundaries threaten to choke our physical, emotional, and spiritual health if we aren’t seeking God’s truth about what’s loving and what isn’t.
I finally realized I could never determine someone’s course.
Perhaps consider whether Jesus is asking you the same question? Or are you trying to answer that question for anyone else? Do we need to let go of the reigns – loosen the grip and let them slide through our hands and give the situation to God?
It was the tiniest glimpse of a way forward to release a responsibility that was never supposed to have been. Jesus provided the truth in just two little words, but they sang volumes of sweet relief into my smothered soul. The perspective shift gave way to an opportunity to view life differently.
And from where I sat, it looked like freedom. John 8:31-32
