Laying by the Pool

Once, there was a pool of water called Bethesda. It was a pool of healing where when the water was troubled, it was believed, the first to get into the water would be immediately healed of any disease. Apparently it worked, there were many people healed over the years. But there was one problem  with this pool, it was always and could only be the first person to get in, if you were the second person all you got was wet... That means it was always either the person with the most friends or the most healthy/strongest person there.

Don't we feel the same way today? Doesn't it always seem "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer?" (Hello OCCUPY!) and not just monetarily... But sometimes as we look around it's the people who don't really NEED anything that seem to keep on GETTING everything... And I, to be completely honest, hate seeing that... I've even leaning toward jealousy at some points...

Pool of Bethesda (2009)

Back to Bethesda: There was a man who laid by the pool for over 30 years hoping and waiting for his miracle... Watching other people who needed a miracle less than he getting their blessings...  Getting jealous of those people who always beat him to the punch... He angered each time he got wet for no reason. And eventually, I'm sure like most of us, he resigned to the idea he didn't deserve to be blessed and stopped pursuing the dream. 

One thing I've heard a lot of these days... Both from friends and at times from my own mind... "how can God accept me? How can He bless me? With all the things I've done and do wrong He can't love me... I'm not deserving.. Not good enough... My dream can't possibly come true now..." And you know what (be prepared this next point is something most people won't tell you...) we are right when we think we don't deserve blessing. When we think we are not good enough we are correct... BUT (and pay attention to this... Remember it... Live it!) deserved-ness DOES NOT matter when it comes to Jesus accepting us, giving us a dream and blessing us through the fulfillment of that dream! All those things we've done and do wrong CANNOT STOP HIS LOVE FOR US!

When Jesus showed up at the pool of Bethesda He didn't run to the most deserving... He walked straight to that man who had waited those 30+ years. The thing about Jesus is, He thinks a little more like I do on those kind of situations... He wants the people who are in NEED to be the ones who receive not necessarily just the ones who deserve... Because there actually is no one on earth who deserves anything from God, not one! We must remember the one thing that makes it possible for ALL OF US to receive even what we don't deserve from God... His pure, loyal, beautiful, constant, unfailing, unconditional love for us! No, I can't explain it, I don't know why He loves us so much, I only know He does... So that thing you haven't received, that one thing you've longed for that you just can't seem to reach on your own... Yes, that one thing you haven't trusted anyone to help you with... God knows about it, He's been paying attention to your heart's desire so talk to Him about it, tell Him you want to be made whole in that area of life because He wants to help you! Open the door to your heart, allow Him to take a look at those dreams and watch what He does with them!