Wounded In The Church (2)

When Jesus...knew how long he had been there, He said, 'Do you want toget well?'
John 5:6

When you've been hurt in church you can choose to remain a victim by dwelling on how things should have been, or use the experience to grow wiser and more discerning.
The paralysed man at the pool had been there for 38 years. When Jesus discovered how long he'd been there He asked,
"Do you want to get well?"
It was time for him to stop seeing his handicap as part of his identity. Because he'd been incapacitated for so long he thought like a victim.
Listen:
"I don't have anybody to put me in the pool" (v.7 ).
Translation?
"Nobody really cares."
When Jesus commanded him to get up, He knew it would take real courage to overcome his feelings of hopelessness and self-pity. But when the man obeyed, he was healed on the spot. God never forces healing on you, even if you'rehurting. No, you must want to get well and make a conscious decision to believe you can. Getting hurt is inevitable; living like a victim is a choice.

The church will always have people who speak without thinking and hurt others.
But listen: "You're part of the body of Christ" (Colossians3:15 ).
Apart from it, you've no function, no spiritual food supply and no fulfilment, so you die spiritually. Understand this: it takes the same energy to choose healing as it does bitterness - but the results are very different! One leaves you paralysed by the past, the other gives you hope for the future. So, which will you choose