Pick up that cast and walk

Written by: Jessica Russo

Co-blogger for Truly Fed Ministries
 
After my rambunctious red-headed three year old leaped off the top of the play equipment at the park (on Leap Day nonetheless), we were off to the ER with a broken leg. A tiny camouflaged cast was placed on his leg and we were given a little boot for him to use to walk. Although I felt sad for my little maverick I couldn’t help but notice how incredibly cute the cast was.

Once we returned home he adapted quickly to life on his stomach. He crawled like a crab for a solid week. The thing that intrigued me most was the fact that he never complained or asked if he would walk again. He seemed perfectly happy with this new way of life. My thought was to attach a Swiffer to his shirt and let him clean some floors with all that scooting around on his belly but my husband had had enough of it. In a gentle but stern voice (that voice that fathers are so good at but mothers never quite master) he said, “Get up and walk.” Fear struck my son’s eyes and I realized it wasn’t that he was perfectly happy to crab-crawl for the rest of his life; it was that he was content to remain down because he was too fearful of the pain of getting back up.

Again in the daddy voice he said, “Your leg is fine son. Get up and walk.” Without question, and through his fear, he got up and walked. His little blue eyes were dancing with excitement as he ran over and thanked his father.

In John 5 Jesus sees a Man at the Pool of Bethesda that lay on a mat sick for 38 years:
8 Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” 9 And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.

What strikes me about this is the fact that Jesus told the man to pick up his bed and carry it with him. Almost as if he was saying: Get up, take charge of that which has held you down, and move on!

This week I leave you with this to fill in as you choose for your own life:

Rise, take up your ______________, and walk

There are countless things that once were issues or ailments but now are just fears in my life. I could fill this blank with such things as:
-Insecurity
-Sadness of a lost loved one
-Issues with food
-Shame

I could go on and on as I’m sure we all could.

Well needless to say God has healed my little fingerprint and he is back to his mischievous and reckless ways.

God heals and we rise, pick up that cast, and walk……..
Blessings,
Jessica