When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’” Mark 2:5.
Weary from years of holding a paper bag up to my daughter’s face to help her breathe when panic struck, I wasn’t ready to take on anything else. Regardless, here I sat. My husband and I sat in silence with a new truth. This news was unexpected, unwanted and untimely.
Just like that, I was inducted into a club I never wanted to be a part of.
It was a dark place. My mind now knew the truth, but still searched for opportunities to escape.
When circumstances seem too hard, we often lose faith things could ever change. Sometimes we need others to carry us through these trials. We need others to have faith when we can’t. We need people in our lives to do whatever it takes to bring us to Jesus.
After hearing the news of my shocking diagnosis, friends and family filled our life and home with constant care. They did whatever it took to help us adjust to our new normal. This included learning to distribute my medications through an IV in my living room. Their endless support helped us through very hard days. However, their greatest gift was continually carrying me to Jesus. It often felt too hard to go alone.
We see this in scripture. Four friends carried a paralytic to see Jesus. This was no easy task. Jesus had just returned to his hometown after performing many miracles. Large crowds awaited to see him. The doors to enter were too crowded to get in.
These four men knew their friend needed help only Jesus could provide. Instead of accepting defeat, they lifted the paralyzed man onto the roof, and tore a hole as an opening. From there, they lowered their friend down to Jesus.
“And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay.” Mark 2:4
This paralyzed man was healed because of his friends’ faith. “When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’” Mark 2:5.
Too often, we refuse help from others. We don’t want to inconvenience anyone. We think we can manage alone. More importantly, we don’t want others to see and feel the weight of what we are carrying.
When things seem hopeless, we need people in our life who want to carry our burden with us. We need friends who are desperate to care for us. We need friends who will lift us all the way to the roof, knowing they will lower
us back down to see Jesus. These friends bring us to Jesus when we need Him most. Let’s let them.
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