What's Your Wish?

It's birthday season in the Burtis household. One a month for the first six months of the year. Not to mention friends and co-workers. Birthdays are fun. Its another time of year to stop and evaluate your life, make necessary changes or adjustments, and start fresh.


Recently I read this passage:

³⁵ As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. ³⁶ And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. ³⁷ They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” ³⁸ And he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” ³⁹ And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁰ And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him.

And when he came near, he asked him, ⁴¹ “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” ⁴² And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.” ⁴³ And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God. *

What an amazing question for Jesus to ask, "What do you want me to do for you?"


I've considered this scenario off and on through my life and for sure my answer has changed with the seasons. So many answers come to mind. Some preventative. Some grandiose. Some other-focused. Some downright selfish. 


But this time as I read it, I see the last sentence as if for the first time: "And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God." Well, that sort of changes things.


The (new) question(s) written in the margin of my Bible:

What would I request?

and would the result cause other people to give praise to God?

Mmmmm. Now I'm thinking. Perhaps the purest of desires should include how others are affected. I mean, when we join God's family through faith in Jesus' life, death, resurrection and offer for eternal life, we gain a whole lot of community. What we do and what happens to us affects others. It's no longer just about us.


When I'm spending time with the Lord early in the morning in my living room, I sometimes imagine Jesus sitting on the other end of the couch with me. I picture Him asking me the above question. My answer doesn't come quickly. Probably because I have a rub my lamp and get three wishes mentality thanks to Disney indoctrination. Continuing the scenario, in our twisted thinking, most of us probably only hope for one wish. So we've got to make it good.


What would you ask the Most High God, who has all power and knowledge, to do for you?
And would the answer cause other people to give thanks?


In the remote chance a chocolate birthday cake smeared in a ridiculous layer of white buttercream frosting topped with __ lit candles is placed in front of me sometime this month, I'll be considering those questions.

Because while I don't really put much stock in birthday wishes, I do believe Jesus could, like the blind beggar, ask me what I would like Him to do for me and I want it to be something that causes others to unmistakably see God for how good He is. That all who saw would be so amazed the only appropriate response would be to thank Him right along with me!

*Luke 18:35-43