What constitutes a BFF? Someone who is there beside you through the ups and downs of life. Someone you can count on for prayer support, encouragement and even advice. Someone who cares about your wellbeing and wants to ensure your safety. Someone you can confide in and trust. The relationship is not always perfect. Sometimes forgiveness comes into play, but in the end that friend loves you for who you are and will remain loyal.
Enjoy this brief excerpt from Sharing Stories of Jesus with Children as well as my reflection and scripture reference.
Jesus is healing a man on a stretcher carried by his friends in front of a crowd.
Friends of Faith
Room is crowded
every inch of the floor,
too many people
stuffed in the door.
Jesus is teaching
eyes fixed on him
healing and miracles
he’s without sin.
Branches on the roof
opened wide.
Men find a way
to get friend inside.
Slowly he’s lowered
on a platform of wood.
Paraplegic needs healing
help if he could.
The faith of the four
impresses our king.
The man gets up,
starts to sing.
Takes his mat
heading home
a miracle occurs
Jesus well known.
If you enjoyed this poem click on the books link within this website for easy access to purchasing Sharing Stories of Jesus with Children. God Bless You.
Reflection:
Do you have a BFF or Best Friend Forever? If you can count your best friends on one hand you are truly blessed. We all go through life having relationships and meeting acquaintances, but a true friend is a rarity.
The man who needed to be carried by stretcher had such friends. They went to great lengths, planning a way to get their friend literally in front of Jesus who could heal him. They knew the crowd would be dense, so they cut an opening in the roof and lowered him to the ground planting him in reaching distance of the Savior.
The man was healed not because of his own faith, but because of the faith of his friends. When I selected the picture for this story, I wanted the reader to be sure to see the men on the rooftop rather than the man being healed. Our minister calls these friends stretcher lifters. I pray your faith is revealed in friendship. Be a stretcher lifter today.
Luke 5:19-20
19But not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus. 20Seeing their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.”