UPFRONT March 2, 2009 Issue

ALWAYS A WAY FORWARD

STEVE GRAHAM, SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR

"It's a big competition for a small chance at success!" That's pretty much what one man said to Jesus. He was discouraged and thought he was going nowhere. In his case, he'd been physically impaired for almost 40 years, and thought he had to be the first one into the pool of Bethesda in order to be healed by its waters. But somebody always got there first. Nobody would help him.

"Get up and walk right where you are!" That's pretty much what Jesus told the man. But those were far from empty or heartless words. Along with them came empowerment. Advancement. Freedom. The man got up and walked, immediately. No need to wait to get in that pool (see John 5:2-9).

There just may be a lesson in this for the hundreds of thousands of people who are facing job cuts and layoffs. These days, the pool they're trying to get into is the job pool. Unemployment threatens to make them feel a bit like that man Jesus encountered—in this case, competing with a growing number of other individuals for a limited, shrinking number of jobs. Perhaps immobilized by discouragement and fear, doubtful that there's any help.

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