We Go Togetherናሙና

We Go Together

Word spread that Jesus had arrived back in Capernaum, and a crowd gathered with people wanting to hear from him and maybe witness a miracle or two. Then, as Jesus shares inside a house, a group of friends arrives outside. Friends have carried their paralyzed buddy to Jesus only to be turned away by the volume of the crowd.

The Bible doesn’t give details, but there had to be a moment of disappointment. The guy on the stretcher might have said, “Hey, guys, thanks for trying, but it doesn’t look like it will happen today.” However, in that moment of resignation, one of the friends gets creative (there’s one in every group) and says, “I have an idea. What about the roof?” Everyone gets a second wind.

The friends climb on the roof and start tearing through the tiling. They are men possessed by determination. It’s a huge risk. It’s the destruction of property. And yet their friend needs to see Jesus.

People in the house start to hear noises, and minutes later, dirt and debris begin falling on their heads, followed by a person. These friends courageously go in and interrupt Jesus in the middle of his teaching. Peering through the hole in the roof, they watch as Jesus approaches the man they have just lowered and says to him, Friend, your sins are forgiven.

So many of us feel a little numb. We’ve lost something or felt disappointed over the past few years, and now we need a new way to move forward. We need a fresh start. That’s what this young man needed, what his friends helped him find, what Jesus offered him - a fresh start.

Søren Kierkegaard, a 19th-century theologian and poet wrote, “People settle for a level of despair they can tolerate and call it happiness.” This is the year we no longer settle for tolerable despair, and instead, we’ll dream bigger, risk greater, and love better. And the way we’re going to do that is through the company we keep. Having your people by your side is not a perk of living a giant, beautiful, juicy life – it’s a prerequisite.

It’s time to toss out our notions that we must do any of this alone, that it’s “too late” to create an abundantly rich group of girlfriends, or that the pace of life leaves no room for meaningful connection. Instead, we’ll take in something new, something God is always using to reach out to us: deep relationships.

Having a genuine, supportive, honest group of female friends in your circle is one of the biggest life upgrades. “Ran out of gas? Of course, I’ll help push your car, but we will definitely laugh about it for the next 40 years.” Friends to put down as your kids’ emergency contact at school. People who help themselves to whatever is in your pantry without asking. Someone who has witnessed your most embarrassing moment and would never serve your kid peas because she knows it makes him gag.

If you desperately want this kind of friendship, but it feels hard to come by, you’re not alone. Community is such a cliché concept, but the truth is, we are all pretty desperate for it. We know it will make our lives better, yet finding friends as adults can feel intimidating. Despite our best efforts, we all seem to be amidst a loneliness epidemic.

Consider This…

Are you ready to toss out the notion that you must do life alone?

Are you willing to embrace something new?

Together…

We will be unoffendable, show up and expect good things for and from those around us.