I recently heard a man share one of the most moving experiences of his life. A few years ago he and his wife were suffering in a terrible way that only few can understand: they lost their child before they ever had a chance to meet her. “Devastated” is the word that he used to describe how he felt. He went on to explain that he just wasn’t the same afterward. His passion for his work, the local congregation, and even God Himself began to fade. He was headed for a dark place until three of his close friends came to visit.
“We want to carry you to the cross,” they began to explain. They opened their Bibles to Mark 2 and began reading,
“Many were gathered together, so that there was no room, not even at the door. And Jesus was preaching to them. And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic carried by four men. 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. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Sons, your sins are forgiven.”
“We want to be like these four men in this story,” they said. “We want to carry you to Jesus when you can’t carry yourself. We want to carry you to the cross.”
And that’s exactly what they did. They prayed with the hurting man and throughout the following months they encouraged him in any way that they could to stay strong in the faith. And it worked.
What a powerful example of Christian support. What a powerful reminder that we’re called to be like the friends here – to bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ (Gal. 6:2). Do you need to be carried to the cross? Let go of your pride and let your friends bring you to Jesus. Does someone you care for need to be carried to the cross? Get to work and carry them.
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