Frank and the Pool of Bethesda

For almost two years I have been trying to help a person to commit himself to Jesus Christ.
Before I go any further I must say that it has been an enriching experience. It has been in many instances like looking in the mirror, as he raises some of the questions that I used to have for a long time.
He challenges my mind, my beliefs, and even though that may sound not for everybody it is one of the many reasons why I have not moved on and given up. The other reason is because, although I have not been able to make him jump into the pool of Bethesda, I know that God will use me to eventually touch him, while he touches me and blesses both of us with the JOY of knowing that our creator is in charge, that he did not send his son in vain to die on the cross for all of us, believers and non-believers, Jews and Gentiles.
The power of God, his mercy, his love and compassion are things that are hard to grasp. This is one of the things that Frank has a hard time coming to grips with.
He (Frank) shares a story that many of us can relate to, with family members not sharing the love of Christ with each other and with him. I think this is because of the refusal to turn our lives to him. I, for many years, after my son was diagnosed with Autism, wondered in the wilderness. I walked away from my savior and my creator, and while friends would ask me to come back to church, I had decided, like I used to say, to put God in a drawer. This, contrary to what I thought, did not help me, it made matters worse. The pain was becoming intolerable, until one day a friend of mine said “you cannot go on like this, the pain is too much for one person to bear, and you need to TRUST YOUR SAVIOR, and let him carry the burden”. This was not the first that he had said this. But when you are in the middle of the thunderstorm it is very difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But that day I said I will try it, I have nothing to lose.
It did work, and even though the pain, like a scar, will never go away, with his help I can face another day.
This, to a certain extent, is what I tell him week after week. Frank like many of us has a hard time letting go. It is difficult, because we are raised under the false premise that we should “take control of our lives”. That is a farce.
He asks me if he jumps into the pool of Bethesda is God going to cure his diabetes, his sleeping disorder, and I say no, those things will not go away. But trusting your creator, passing your cross onto him is the only way to find real peace.