Turning Agitation into Something Positive
Key Verse to Read and Treasure
The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me. (John 5:7, ESV)
For Insight
The man by the pool in Bethesda was a paralytic. He could not walk or get around by himself. Every day people could be found by the pool because it was believed by many to possess special healing properties which meant it was always overcrowded with the disabled: the blind, crippled, and the sick. There was a key however: you had to be the first in once the waters started to stir. Though we normally equate agitation with something negative, in this case it served a good purpose just as in the case of how pearls are formed: the sand trapped inside an oyster, which is agitating to the oyster, results in the beautiful pearl people pay great sums of money to possess.
In the case of humans, we don’t often think of being agitated as a good thing. When we feel agitated, we might be frustrated, feel a sense of inner turmoil, or unrest. Normally, becoming agitated results in negative behavior or results in tension that could lead to dispute or disruption of inner peace. Negative words can stir emotions resulting in disruption of a peaceful exchange or feelings towards others.
Just as the waters of the pool in Bethesda and the sand in an oyster serve for good purposes, God can use our agitation for good purposes also. He can show us that not all agitation needs to be or lead to something destructive or harmful. God can use our agitation to help us search ourselves, to better understand why we react to something or someone the way we do, to help us explore our hidden or deeper motives, and to help us put things in proper perspective and even share our true feelings with others and open to God more. Like anger, becoming agitated does not have to mean disruption of relationship or communication, nor lead to sin, but can become an instrument for good. The discomforting emotions can help us face truths, test us to be more vulnerable, and bring us closer to the realness of our emotions and thoughts, and help us draw closer to others and to God.
Praying John 5:7
Jesus, sometimes we become agitated. Something is said or not said, something is done or not done, and that leads to the uncomfortable feelings of agitation. Like the waters of Bethesda let our agitation serve for good and godly purposes. Search our hearts when we become agitated at or with others, the situation or even with ourselves and use it to transform us to become more like you. Amen
Prayer Challenge
Don’t be afraid to identify what or who agitates you. Be bold to ask God to reveal the why’s, help you to confess it and cause healing through it.
Digging Deeper
Devotionally Yours 