Jesus asked a chronically sick man, "Do you want to get well." The man had been in his condition for 38 years. Probably had gone to every faith- healing crusade in and out of town. Probably had spent his last penny on medical doctors. But Jesus reduces his 38 years of suffering to the question: "Do you want to get well?"

The lame man with his lame hope responded with all sorts of excuses why he still suffered in his condition: no one to take me to the doctor; everyone else is getting all the goodies; I never can seem to get my act together at the right time.

Excuses. No direct answer to Jesus' direct question: "Do you want to get well." It appears the man wanted to marinate in his own juices. Perhaps he was content with his limping life. Perhaps he was satisfied with his depression that embraced tomorrow exactly as a yesterday. Perhaps, he was enjoying his pity party of 38 years. Jesus, as a health therapist, wanted the man to want health and wholeness and complete wellness. Perhaps the man had never experienced health and wholeness that he didn't know what to want. I believe there are folks like that. They've lived so long without wholeness that they don't know what they are missed. Take relational wholeness, for example. Maybe there's a man who is relationally sick yet he doesn't know it. He is either buying other's affections or intimating them through their weaknesses. Relational wholeness has to do with unconditioned acceptance and trust. Someone who can't trust isn't well relationally. But do you want to get well relationally? Look at our physical wellness. If you can't walk a mile in 15 minutes (provided you're not invalid), the question has to be asked: are we well physically. A member of my church preached a powerful sermon to me the other day on the racquetball court. The message said, "Hatcher, you are a physical wreck." So, I repented and am now trying to become physically well.

There's also emotional wellness: do you have significant changes of mood from a high glad to a deep sad and even to a wide mad? Psychological wholeness doesn't allow for a thought life filled with suicide, revenge, and the like.

Of course, in my line of work, it's spiritual wholeness that's identified as the key to every other kind of wellness. How's our relationship with God? Jesus said a positive relationship with God causes us to relate to him as Father and consider ourselves as children. I'm afraid too many of us relate to God either as adults or parents. God doesn't have peers and doesn't have parents. Spiritual wellness permits the child in us to visit, love, and adore the Father.

Bottom line to it all: Do you want to get better. Jesus said, "Get up, take up your stretcher, and walk." So, to all of us - and particular Christians - let's stop marinating in our problem. I hope you are like me in that I want to get better in more areas than just physical. First, however, comes the confession, "I need to get well." May you have a blessed Palm Sunday.

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