Hole In The Roof Friends
In the YouVersion devotional this morning we read Luke chapter 5. As I was reading Luke's gospel account a particular story grabbed my attention. If you are not familiar with it, Jesus is in someone's home healing lots of people. There are some guys carrying their paralyzed friend on a mat to get him to Jesus so he can be healed. Who knows how far they traveled to get their friend to Jesus? When they arrive at the home where Jesus is healing people they are confronted with a serious problem. The house is jam packed and they can’t get their friend through the entrance of the house. What will they do? I’m not sure how long they brainstormed about the situation but they came up with a very unorthodox plan. They decided to make a hole in the roof and lower their friend down to where Jesus was. No details are given about them asking the owner of the house for permission. I imagine it must have taken them a while to make a hole in the roof big enough to lower someone through it on a mattress. I also wonder what the people below were thinking when suddenly debris began falling on their heads from above. Those standing below the expanding hole in the roof had to be shocked by this turn of events. Suddenly someone is being lowered down with ropes right in front of Jesus. I won’t get into the rest of the story except to say it ends really well.
I want to focus on those amazing friends who were willing to get on top of a roof and dig a hole through it because they cared so deeply about their friend. We all need some "hole in the roof friends". Here is my description of a "hole in the roof friend". When you are paralyzed and helpless with little or no hope of things getting better a "hole in the roof friend" comes to your aid and refuses to let you remain on your mat any longer. "Hole in the roof friends" metaphorically speaking carry you and if necessary dig a hole in a roof to get you help.
I’ve had some" hole in the roof friends" in my life. One time when I was at my lowest, a good friend saw me spiraling out of control and insisted I go with him to a pastors conference. The last place I wanted to go was a pastors conference but my friend was so persistent I finally agreed to go. That conference was a life saver for me. It got me off the mat. It didn’t fix all my problems but it put me on the path towards recovering my life. On certain occasions it has been my privilege to be the "hole in the roof friend" for someone else.
The best "hole in the roof friends" bring their paralyzed friends to Jesus. Bringing someone to Jesus might mean doing a family intervention or driving someone to a rehab center. It could mean visiting someone in prison who is losing hope or loaning money to someone who is in a financial crisis.
Writing this article caused me to reflect on my life and identify some "hole in the roof friends" from my past. I can see their faces in my mind and it fills my heart with gratitude. I want to encourage you to do the same. Take a few moments to think about someone or maybe several people who were there for you when you most needed them. You know they would have lowered you through a roof if necessary, and perhaps in their own way, that’s exactly what they did. The world needs more "hole in the roof friends"". May God give us the strength, wisdom, compassion, and courage to be hole in the roof friends".
Summer blessings,
Steve