Every since God challenged me with that daily question, my answer has been "Yes." But saying "Yes" each day is not always comfortable. Why? Because saying "Yes" requires that you say "No" to some things. Even those things to which others may still be saying "Yes!"

Being different can be uncomfortable.

Last week, I wrote an article called "Wellness is a Daily Choice" on the TBYT website and part of that story had to deal with Jesus healing the paralytic man at the Pool of Bethesda (see John 5:1-15). But here is something that I've never considered before:

While I am sure the man was happy about his healing, he still had to deal with Life afterwards. And part of that is willingness to be different from others.

The man had been sick for 38 years, but Jesus healed him in an instant. Before, his normal environment was hanging around other sick and infirm people. But now he was different from them; he had a new identity as a well man.

That meant facing life as a well man, something that may have been new to him. He no longer had his infirmity to complain about as a source of conversation. He didn't have to go back to the pool if he didn't want to. He had to deal with the change in relationships with family and friends.

Here's a life reality: While some of his friends and family may have been happy to see him well, others may have resented it. They too had to make the adjustment in relating to a well man versus a sick man.

Some may have been envious, resenting that he was healed while they weren't. Others may have been convicted, knowing they could be healed, but lacking the courage to seek healing out. But what could he do? Try to become sick again to fit in? It may sound strange to you, but some people choose to stay sick for that very reason.

You see, answering "Yes" to the "Do you want to be made well?" question is not always as simple as it appears on the surface. In the man's case, he didn't answer "Yes," but Jesus healed him anyway. That tells me that the man must have had at least a little faith in Jesus' ability in order for the healing to manifest.

In Matthew 5:14, Jesus finds the man again in the temple. Jesus said to him, "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."

After that, the man told others that it was Jesus who made him well. While it is true that you may have to deal with some uncomfortable things as a well person, here is the best reason to say "Yes;" it is the ultimate opportunity to testify to others that it was JESUS who made you well.

You sought the Lord's wisdom about what was best for you. He might have led you to certain eating plans and exercise to help, but you just cooperated with the Master's plan! The eating plan and exercises were tools; Jesus was the source!

Sometimes, my flesh will try to scare me when I am facing a choice to say "No" to something I know is not good for me. It just happened yesterday in fact! I was offered the choice to have some pie. Because I was saying "Yes" to the "Do you want to be made well?" question, I said "No" to the pie. But it was uncomfortable.

That's when my flesh said, "Are you never going to eat pie again for the rest of your life?" I recognized it as a common scare tactic the enemy tries to use on me. But I was ready: "I can't speak for the rest of my life. But I know that I want to be well today, so I am saying 'No' today."

I am curious...what challenges are you facing living as a well person? Even if you haven't reached your health goal yet, you are already a well person the moment you decided to become one. And with that decision is the opportunity to tell others what Jesus has done for you!

Be blessed in Health, Healing, and Wholeness,