With all that is going on in the world, once again, I find myself overwhelmed. It’s tough to keep track of the media around me and to discern what is fact from opinion. If you find yourself in a similar exhausted, emotional space then you know you’re not alone.
What I am experiencing brings to mind the story in John 5. It’s a story that many of us have heard more than a few times,. The scene is set at a pool in Jerusalem known as “Bethesda.” This pool is described as having hundreds of sick - blind, crippled and paralyzed - people surrounding it, waiting for a miraculous ‘stirring of the waters’ to hopefully be the first one in and be healed.
Jesus is visiting Jerusalem and encounters a paralyzed man who had been around the pool for 38 years. The lifespan for men in that time was 35-40 years. Which means this man had spent the entirety of his life around this pool. Jesus asks the man, “Do you want to get well?”
I read this question and have to shake my head. I say to myself, “Jesus, WHO WOULDN’T WANT TO GET WELL?” But Jesus asks him this question for a very specific reason. The reason is found in the man’s response. Verse 7 (MSG) says, “The sick man said, “Sir, when the water is stirred, I don’t have anybody to put me in the pool. By the time I get there, somebody else is already in.”
Did you catch it? Did you see past the man’s illness to the reason we’re given for Jesus’ seemingly silly question?
The purpose of Jesus asking wasn’t to ask a question with an obvious answer. The purpose was to share with us, the outside observers, that the man was hurting from more than illness. He was stuck and hurting from being alone.
In Verse 8-9, Jesus says “Get up, take your bedroll, start walking.” We’re told the man was healed on the spot. He picked up his bedroll and walked off. No longer alone. He walks off with the Creator of the universe by his side. Not the unseen God, but the tangible, flesh-bearing King of Kings--Jesus of Nazareth.
We know God is with us. We at LLUH believe with authority that God is real, and working actively in our spaces. But that doesn’t always mean that we feel that He is with us. There are times that all of us feel alone.
Please know that, as you move through your experience here at LLU, you don’t need to walk alone. You may not have an ailment like the man at Bethesda. Yet, chances are you may be experiencing loneliness. Recognize that whether you’re a part of LLUH, LLUMC, LLU or beyond, there are people in place to walk with you through whatever it may be you’re going through. You do not need to walk alone!
For all students and employees at LLUH, the Employee Assistant Program and Student Assistant Program is available by visiting the program's website or calling 909-558-6050.
For students, staff and faculty at LLU and Shared Services, the University Spiritual Care team is available by visiting the Spiritual Care web page or by calling 909-558-8348 or via email at spiritualcare@llu.edu.
For employees at LLUMC, the Employee Spiritual Care team is available by calling 909-558-7261.
For physicians throughout LLUH, the Physician Vitality team is available by visiting this website or by calling 909-558-5257.
If you run into patients or patient families looking for care, the Medical Center Chaplain Services team is available by calling 909-558-4367.
There is no reason anyone that interacts with our LLUH institution should ever walk alone, unless it’s by choice. We are here, and we are waiting to support you. Get up, take your ‘heaviness’ and start walking… together with us.
