Coptic Dad & Mom

In the sermon he gave on the morning after H.H. Pope Shenouda's passing, Fr. Domadious Rizk asked us to consider which person from the Lenten readings we are. Each of these nameless people had a life-changing encounter with God's truth.

Are we the prodigal son who lived mired in sin, not realizing how beloved we are in our Father's eyes?
Are we the Samaritan woman, who was visited by the source of Living Water?
Are we the paralyzed man, unable to move towards our own healing?
Are we the man born blind--not seeing the glory and grace of our Lord?

For me, I feel like I have been the paralyzed man for a few months now. I have wanted to serve God fully but felt frozen in time. I have wanted to grow spiritually closer to God, but my constantly spinning mind drags me down. The pool is so close, but "I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up..."

I have been waiting for a catalyst, a spark to charge a change. But all that's really needed is a true desire. "Do you want to be made well?" our Lord asks because 38 years is a long time to wait for someone else to help me up. It takes a personal desire and conviction to grow, to rise, take up my bed, and walk.

Which person are you? Which story fits your life now?