And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. ~Mark 2:4
They say that in Oregon we have two seasons—rain and construction! Except for the hardcore that are willing to brave the elements, we’re often forced inside until late spring. I like to mountain bike but am not a fan of the wind, mud, and rain; so I am a regular “cyclist”. Two nights a week I put on my heart rate monitor and biking shoes, then pedal, sweat, and gasp for air for an hour.
But I’ve noticed something very troubling. As hard as I pump my legs, I’ve never covered any ground—unless you count the time I accidentally spit my gum across the room. I never found that piece of gum, which might be even more troubling!
Do you ever feel like you are spinning your wheels only to realize you're going nowhere? Do you ever feel like you’re on the Hamster Wheel working as hard as you can and never gaining traction?
Some of you are there right now. You’re spinning your wheels and going nowhere? You’re like the paralyzed man in Mark 2. You need a breakthrough. You need some buddies, some men on the roof, who won’t stop until you break through.
Maybe you’re paralyzed because you’re in bondage to a sin. Maybe you’re stuck in one of life’s many ruts. Maybe you can’t (or won’t) forgive someone from the past who violated you. Or maybe, if you’re honest, you’ve been spiritually lazy and others passed you by. Only you can tell your story.
When life has us spinning on the Hamster Wheel, men like this are a precious commodity. Men on the Roof will let nothing get in the way of me becoming my best version in Jesus. They help break through any barriers hindering me from becoming my best version in Jesus. Even if I’m comatose with grief, derailed by divorce, paralyzed by a past, stalemated by sin, or caged by fear—they carry me onward, upward and inward towards Jesus!
Life can be brutal. It can be paralyzing. At some point in life even the best of us are paralyzed for a season and need a breakthrough. Whether it is because of a painful divorce, toxic relationship, death of a loved one, bondage to sin, unforgiveness of a past hurt, or fear of getting out of the anonymous bleachers and into the Arena.
When I think of this story I always wonder how far they actually lowered their buddy. Where did they stop? There wasn’t enough room on the floor so they must’ve lowered him to just above Jesus—balcony seating!
It’s really a mute point because these guys would have done whatever it took to get their buddy to Jesus. We need a few men like this in our life, don’t we? Men who are more committed to getting me closer to Jesus, than I might be at the time. They will find a way, break away, and make a way to get me closer to Jesus.
