Pick up your mat!

‘Then Jesus said to him, ‘Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.’

John 5 vs 8

I had always understood this verse in the context of the blind man being healed. Jesus asked him whether he wanted to be healed, and in reply, the blind man explained the problem he had been experiencing; mainly that he was never able to get into the water quickly enough, as others would barge in front of him. When Jesus told him to get up, the blind man did so in faith, and he was healed.

However, some months ago, another meaning of this event was revealed to me. I had been prevaricating about whether or not to start writing Christian articles again, and wasn’t sure whether it would be well received within the sector I work in. I was worried about how it would make me look. But whilst reading the above verse, I realised that I’d been building a barricade of excuses, rather than simply trusting God and getting on with it. The above verse helped me realise that I needed to stop worrying about what was going on around me, and simply get on with it. The irony is that those problems proved to be not as insurmountable as I’d imagined them to be; far from it.

If there is something God has placed in your heart to do for him, my message for you is this:

‘Pick up you mat and walk’.

Trust that God has already dismantled those seemingly impossible obstacles.

There is however a warning some verses later.

The day on which this took place was a sabbath, and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, the law forbids you to carry your mat” ‘

John 5 vs 9-10

In other words, once you start doing whatever it is that God has placed in your heart, do not be at all surprised to meet opposition along the way. Some will ridicule you, some will tell you it’s pointless, and others will even try to bring you down. But know this – God already knew what they would do before he asked you to serve him. He knows the beginning from the end, and he works all things together for good.

Whatever loving act of service God has placed in your heart, worry not about the different scenarios, but focus on his sovereignty and just get on with it.