On the way to the beach yesterday to have breakfast, Parish shared that he had a song stuck in his head. “What is it?” I asked. “Neil Young, One of These Days.” I already had directions on, so I switched to find the song and played it. We sang the song together and then talked about “who” we would write a letter to.

This morning I’m meditating on the verses in the Bible that tell the story of a group of friends carrying a paralytic man to Jesus for healing. As Parish and I reflected on the shared meditation, we both agreed that the questions posed in the meditation, “Think of his friends. Who would you help in their healing?” were thought-provoking. I’m paraphrasing here. Check out this link if you’d like to listen to the entire meditation.

I think of a group of friends showing up at your door and they give of their time and resources to take you to a place to heal. In this case, Jesus was in town, and they not only knew of Him, they believed in His healing power. It was risky. Can you imagine putting your friend on a bed and fighting the crowds only to be disappointed, ridiculed, or show up too late? They did not have cell phones back then to text someone in the crowd to ask, “Is He still there? Can you tell Him to wait?”

The moment I was writing this post, I got a text from a friend. She wanted to check on me and ask me about my vacation. I decided to record her a letter and send her the song “One of These Days.”

I have so many friends in my life who have picked me up and taken me to healing. Spoke life to me. Told me things I didn’t want to hear but needed to hear. I’ve been a good friend to them most of the time. The times I was distant or uncaring, they have shown me grace and forgiven me. We let it go and count it all joy.

Did you know Jesus calls us a friend in John chapter 15? He is the greatest friend we will ever have. He is our bestie of all besties. I’m in awe of His command to the man who needed healing. He told him to stand up, pick up his bed, and go home. The bed was his to carry, and don’t you know that all the way home with that bed in his arms, no longer on his back, brought unbelievable tears of gratitude–a life changed. Imagine the expressions on the family members when he opened the door. Imagine his friends cheering him on, and this time, they do not need to help him. He’s got it. We have to do the work. It is our path to carry our bed. The passage also shares that the village saw the man carrying his bed.

‘Stand up, take your bed, and go to your home.’ And he stood up and went to his home. When the crowds saw it, they were filled with awe and glorified God, who had given such authority to human beings.”

Jesus knew what he was doing! He influenced a whole town through this one healing. Don’t ever underestimate your life story in the realm of your influence. His work in you is a testimony.