A Friend Who Carries

Mark 2:1-5
Have you ever been foolish for a friend? Not foolish with a friend, like on spring break in Florida, but foolish for a friend?

 In this passage, Mark tells of four men who wanted healing for their paralyzed friend so much they dug a hole in the roof to lower him down in front of Jesus. Jesus healed the man because of the faith of the friends. The Paralytic had friends foolish enough to carry him to Jesus.

 I am part of a circle of friends that carries each other to Jesus. They carry me when I can’t walk, like when anxiety strikes and I can’t catch my breath. They pray my prayers when my heart is too hard and bitter and all my strength is gone. They call me out of dark places. They nag me until I take baby steps toward wholeness. They are foolish enough to stick with me, even though I am a failure.

 We all need friends like this. We need a friend who will sacrifice their own well-being, so that we can get to where we need to be. We also need to be the kind of friend who foolishly carries others. Society tells us it is foolish to put others ahead of ourselves. How will we ever succeed if we keep sacrificing for others? Jesus says just the opposite. He says, “Greater love has no one than this, that he that lay down his life for his friends.” Then Jesus did just that. He laid His life down, so we could be healed.

 Out of His sacrifice we find the power to be friends who carry each other. Through the Spirit we are transformed from selfish, broken people into people who love. Redemption flows from Jesus to us and then through us into the world. - Jill Perrin

 Jesus, today we remember you are the friend who never fails. You sacrificed your life so that we can be healed. Help us through the power of the Spirit to follow your example and carry each other. Amen


For more on Jill's Lent Experience, visit her blog Sacramental Mothering at http://sacramentalmothering.blogspot.com/