06 Apr Are your friends carrying you or weighing you down?

“Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future.” Such a commonly used phrase that we all heard from older people at some point in our lives. It was tiring as a teenager, no doubt, yet it’s something that holds so much truth. As women living in a modern world that is often so fast-paced and constantly evolving, we need a circle of friends who are our constant.

“Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus” Luke 5:18-19.

This story of the paralytic man that was healed by Jesus is quite a common Sunday School story, but I don’t want to talk about him, I want to talk about those other men, and the questions their mindsets and actions should raise for us today.

How far are your friends carrying you?

Let me start by saying this; this man was so blessed to have friends that were willing to help him out in his time of need. So often, it is in our lowest moments, we find that our friends are nowhere to be found. Picture this; this man heard through the grapevine that this Jesus everyone spoke about was going to be in town, and he got excited. Could this be his moment for healing? It might just be, but how is he supposed to get himself there when he is paralyzed? Ok, he thinks, let me call my friends and see who would spare some time to get me to the place Jesus is going to be. He probably calls everyone he can think of, but these friends are the only ones willing to give some time and energy to get him there. Not only are they willing to take the time, but also willing to go across town to get him to Jesus. Are you surrounded by friends that would carry you this far? Would you carry your friends that far?

Where are your friends carrying you to?

I’ve known people with friends that would support them through anything. That’s all well and good, but how does it work when they are carrying you on a path to sin during your vulnerable moments? Bad day, a few drinks will fix that. Marriage problems, nothing a one- night stand won’t fix. Someone annoying you, let’s smear them all over social media. Yes, your friends are loyal for supporting you, but where are they carrying you to? These men were carrying their friend to the feet of Jesus, literally. Who knows if they even believed that this man would get his healing, but they understood his heart’s cry and were willing to journey with him and carry his weight because he was not able to. They were ready to carry him to a better season. Can you say your friends would do the same?

Do your friends share your passion and vision?

Let’s say this paralytic man knew he needed to get to Jesus. He had this passion to just make his way to Jesus so he could finally get the healing he had probably desired his whole life. He knew he couldn’t do it alone, so he called his friends and asked if they could help him out. Keeping in mind that at the time, people were still not convinced that Jesus was the Son of God, there’s a good chance his friends doubted whether this man would receive his miracle or not. They chose to put aside any doubt and share their friends’ vision and desire for a life-changing moment. Can you say your friends would do the same? Do they share your passion in pursuit for Christ?
Will your friends go the extra mile to get you to Jesus?

Picture this, these men had carried their friend across town and were probably exhausted and sweaty and in need of a little rest. They were eager to just find this man a spot inside the house and have a little break. They get to the house and realize it is jam-packed with no way in. Most people would concede that they had tried and unfortunately, this just wasn’t possible. Not these guys, though. They shared their friend’s passion and was going to do whatever it took to get him to where he needed to be. They huddled, figured out a plan of action, and used every last ounce of energy to break those ceiling tiles and lower their friend into the house, towards his miracle. When obstacles come in the way of your blessings, do you have friends that will shatter ceilings and use all their energy to get you to your God-ordained destination?

We have to constantly consider who our friends are, and also the kind of friends we are being. I’ll end with this verse I love:

“He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm” – Proverbs 13:20.

Cheyenne Pillay

I’m Cheyenne, a 26 year old PR and digital media specialist. I grew up in the church, volunteering and attending every single service and class. Yet I didn’t truly know this God people spoke of. That was until I was diagnosed with depression after a failed suicide attempt. I spent a year drowning in that reality before I truly came face to face with this God I’d heard about my whole life. Ten years later, I’m a woman in this modern world with an eternal love for Jesus. In addition to my day job, I am also a blogger at Princess Warrior, where I help newbie bloggers and brands find their feet in this industry.

www.princesswarrior.co.za