Transitions. They happen throughout our lives. Leaving for school, securing that first job, marrying the love of our life, filing for divorce, adjusting to living on our own, becoming an empty nester, moving to a retirement community. While these seasons can be exciting they can also be unsettling because every transition ushers in change – the ending of one chapter and the beginning of another. Sometimes we don’t want our current chapter to end – especially when death or divorce is on the horizon. We want our life to continue and remain as it is. In those times of loss we may cling to the past, the person, or the memories we once enjoyed. It’s difficult to say goodbye and painful to move on. The silver lining is that we don’t have to do it alone. We have each other.
I love the biblical story of the paralytic man whose friends brought him to Jesus for healing. These faith-filled men were determined to get their friend who lay helpless on a mat to the only person they believed could heal him. But there was a problem. Crowds swarmed Jesus, leaving no access through the front door. Despite the roadblock these devoted friends would not give up. Scripture tells us that they carried the paralyzed man on a mat up to the rooftop and then cut a hole large enough to lower him down through the rafters. They literally wrecked the roof for their friend. In the end, Jesus healed the paralytic man when he saw their faith.
Just like the paralytic man, we can’t get through life’s challenges alone – whether caused by a job, relationship, or health issue. We need loved ones with us to celebrate, pray, cry, and sometimes just help us believe on the days when we don’t have enough hope or energy to even get out of bed.
Who shows up when your life comes crashing down? Who’s there when your faith needs a boost? These are the true friends we all need – the ones who remain standing by our side when we don’t have the strength to stand; the ones who lighten our burden just by their presence. These are the friends who will wreck the roof for us too.
“Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’” (Mark 2:4-5)