Jump For Joy

Acts 3:8 

"Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God ."

This is what happens after Peter heals a crippled man. The ex-cripple went “jumping.” I like that. It’s such a childlike, pure reaction to receiving a gift. He doesn’t calmly stretch out his new legs and walk about with hesitation. He jumps. He leaps about, probably in a silly, overjoyed way that drew the stares of the people around him.

I find great conviction for my own life, because I cannot read it without thinking, “Why aren’t I jumping? Why aren’t you jumping?”

I have been healed. I have gained more than my legs, I have gained my soul. The very core of who I am has been healed by the Father. And to be honest, on most days I’m not jumping. I am a cripple that has been healed and is now using her legs to walk around slowly. I may run a little on Sundays and Fridays, but most of the week my legs are just chilling out. I don’t think that’s what Jesus wants.

I think he wants me jumping around and leaping about, on legs that are new, with a heart and soul that is healed. I think he wants us to shout and sing and praise and laugh and cry and be real with the gift he has given us. I think he wants everyone that comes in contact with me to know that something is different, something is new that used to be crippled, that something is true that used to be false. I think he wants everyone that I know to ask questions about why I jump so often, so loudly. And that my life would be praise to his Name.