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God’s Love Has Legs
And no, I’m not talking about our friend Ollie the Heart.
Addison Collingsworth
May 16, 2025
Hey, I’m Addison. You’re reading Bigger Than Me, a newsletter about mastering compassion, the essential skill for great relationships. Sign up or scroll to the good stuff.
Missed Part 1? This article is part of a series which began with No, God Did Not Hurt You to Teach You a Lesson. Check it out if you want to understand the spiritual battle behind sickness — and why God isn’t the one behind your pain.
Original graphic by Bryan Arcebal
The sun was hot, my legs still didn’t work, and no one was coming.
No one ever did. Not for me.
I’d memorized disappointment. I could time the rhythm of it like a drumbeat.
I knew what it was like to live in the cracks between other people’s miracles.
He crouched near me, quiet, watching the water stir.
Then he looked at me. Eyes steady. And asked...
“Do you want to be healed?”
I blinked. Laughed. Almost swore.
“Sir, I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I’m trying to get in, someone else always goes down ahead of me.”
Was He mocking me? Another motivational speech? Another polite pity glance dressed in spiritual language?
He nodded. Stood. Then placed a hand on my shoulder.
“You’re strong. Don’t give up. God has a plan.”
And just like that — He walked away.
Like so many others had before.
And I remember thinking:
“What a joke, another ‘holy man’ with nothing but sympathy and a sermon.”
What Really Happened
“Get up. Pick up your mat. And walk.”
That’s what Jesus actually said.
Same man. Same pool. But that version?
The vague encouragement, the empty platitudes, the scripted compassion?
That’s not the Jesus of Scripture.
In John 5, Jesus sees a man who’s been paralyzed for 38 years. He doesn’t quiz his faith. He doesn’t critique his mindset. He asks a question, yes. But He doesn’t wait around for the man to believe something first.
He heals. Immediately. Commandingly. Compassionately.
He gives the man what no one else would. What no one else could.
Not a motivational speech.
Not a long-winded prayer.
Just real, immediate, undeniable healing.
Because compassion doesn’t stall.
It doesn’t delay.
It moves.
What Moved Jesus
Jesus didn’t heal because He had something to prove.
He healed because He couldn’t look away.
Scripture doesn’t usually describe His motives with complex theology. It uses something far more human:
“Moved with compassion…” (Mark 1:41)
“His heart went out to her…” (Luke 7:13)
“He had compassion on them and healed their sick.” (Matthew 14:14)
“He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless…” (Matthew 9:36)
This wasn’t divine PR. This was love with legs.
Jesus didn’t see interruptions. He saw opportunities.
When He saw the blind, the bleeding, the demonized, the grieving — He didn’t just teach about the Kingdom.
He touched them with it.
That’s not a ministry strategy.
That’s the heart of a King who bleeds with His people.
Healing didn’t just fix bodies.
It pulled people close to the heart of God.
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