Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” (Matthew 9:1-2).
Friends. Good friends. New friends. Friends who take you to a ballgame. Friends who give you straight advice. Life-long friends who share with you the ebb and flow of life.
Friends who carry you to Jesus when you cannot get there by yourself.
That’s what I love about this story. Jesus heals the paralytic not because of his faith — but because of the faith of his friends. They believed. They had hope. If only we can get our friend to Jesus …
What a blessing to have a few friends who don’t mind taking a corner of your mat whenever you need a lift!
What a blessing to have a few friends who don’t mind taking a corner of your mat whenever you need a lift!
Are you building those kinds of friendships? Are you investing in a small group of people who are also investing in you? Who do you have that will carry a corner of your mat whenever life gets you done?
I’ve met many believers (and non-believers) who do not have those kind of friendships. It’s OK as long as a life is good, as long as it is smooth. But life is not always that way.
On the other side of the coin is this question: are you becoming that kind of friend for someone else? Are you becoming the kind of person they would call?
May God give us the courage to be a faith-filled friend. May God also grant us the blessing of having such friends.