Ep 253 Stretcher-Bearing Friends We Can Be Weak With Sue Donaldson

I love the T-shirt that reads: “WWMD?”  But when in crisis, I’d much rather talk to my best friend or my sister—older or younger—than Martha Stewart, or even one of her staff members.

Steve Janney said, “We all need a friend we can be weak with.” He’s right. Some of need more than one.

In the Bible there’s a great little story about a man who had four such friends. He wanted to see Jesus but couldn’t get close to Him because of the crowds and mainly because he lived his life on a stretcher.

 “When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home.  Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door.” Mark 2:1,2

Enter 4 friends. Actually, they could have been strangers. The Bible doesn’t include their names. What we do know it that they had big muscles and even bigger hearts.

Now what was so important that they had to ruin someone’s roof? Why did he need to get to Jesus? We assume it was so he could be healed. Something they were all hoping for.

But Jesus had so much more in mind for him and for us, as well. We pray—“Lord, I need a new job, a new refrigerator, a new body!”

And He says, “Ah, but I have so much more in mind for you!” And He does. Jesus came to save us and we all need saving. We’re all a little lost until we put our trust in Him.

These four friends brought their friend to the One who could actually do the work. Jesus did the real work. They didn’t. He did. They couldn’t really help the man, but they knew where to take him to get help.

I am convinced that at any given time we could be either be lifting someone else’s stretcher or we are on the stretcher, being lifted by someone else. We will all get a turn at each, perhaps simultaneously. All the lifting is to take us to Jesus – we either need to be brought to him or we need to bring someone to him. That’s why we get up in the morning and sleep peacefully at night.

Some gems to remember:

• When feeling weak, it reminds us that we need each other.
• It should be of no surprise: we don’t heal people. We don’t do the work of salvation. We just be a friend to one another and bring people to the only one who can truly put broken hearts back together and heal our deepest hurts.
• We all need a friend we can be weak with. Some of need more than one.
• How can we banish loneliness in ourselves or for others? We find our people. We call our people and we look out for the one who needs a hand up to Jesus.
• Meeting with friends doesn't happen unless you put it on the calendar.
• If you start this week meeting with your stretcher-bearers you can say in 14 years, "We've been meeting together now for 14 years."