standing with hope

by Molly Klima

I have three questions for us:

• Who are we letting down
• Who is letting us down
• Have you thanked them for letting you down

I don’t ask this in a way of begrudgery or in a “how are we failing others” or “how are they failing us” tone. It’s actually the opposite. I’m wondering who is letting us down to the feet of Jesus? Who are we letting down to the feet of Jesus? Stick with me.

Luke 5:17-25 tells the story of four friends seeking healing for their friend who is paralyzed. Jesus is teaching in a village, surrounded by a great crowd. He had previously healed a man of leprosy and the news of this was spreading quickly. The good old Pharisees and religous leaders are also present to see what Jesus will do next. These four men are carrying their friend on a mat. We don’t know exactly how far they’ve traveled, but carrying a man on a mat can’t be easy. They get as close as they can to Jesus and realize they can’t actually reach him.

Imagine the desperation and loving someone so much that you would literally carry them to a doctor if you had to. I’m going to guess there is someone in your life you’d do that for. And whether you know it or not, I bet someone in your life would do that for you, too.

So they decide to get their friend up on the roof. This sounds like the beginning of a good Tik Tok. Once he’s up there, they make a hole in the roof. As if it’s not enough to just carry their friend, they now have him on a roof and are tearing through said roof because they just want their friend to meet Jesus. They know that against all odds and even though everything else has been tried, Jesus is who their friend needs. They make the hole and begin to lower their friend to the ground. They slowly let him down and next thing he knows, he’s at the feet of Jesus.

What happens next? Short version: Jesus sees their faith and he’s healed. Jesus ends their interaction by saying, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” And so he does.

If you haven’t picked this up from previous posts or my social media or conversations in real life, this has been a wild year. 2023 will be a year marked as “suffering” in my life. That’s the only word that seems suffice, even if nothing else dramatic or life changing happens the next three months. It’s not that everyday is doom and gloom but my life is forever changed by what the past 9 months have held. And I know that my suffering is not special or different than those around me.

But here’s the good news, at least I hope it’s good to you. In the same way that this man’s life is marked by illness and paralysis, there’s one thing that I know for sure. I’ve seen it time and time again. I have people in my life who are willing to remove some tiles from a roof, after carrying me for awhile, and set me down at the feet of Jesus when I can’t get there myself.

What does it mean for someone to let you down so that you are at the feet of Jesus?

The last week or so as I’ve been thinking about this I’ve had a couple of things come to mind. Back in our early parenting days things were really difficult for a mutlitude of reasons. I went to a lunch with a friend who has a different belief system than me. Over Mexican food, I was venting about my current situations. Parenting was messy, my marriage was messy, my health was a mess. Just one big old hot mess. She asked me one question that I now ask myself on a regular basis. She asked, “How is your faith life? How often are you doing the things that keep you connected to your faith?” And yes, she was talking specifically about my faith in Jesus. She pointed me straight back to his feet. She knew she could listen and offer some tangbile advice, but she also knew it wasn’t enough.

My husband has been letting me down since we first started dating in 2006. I often say that Kerry is the rock because he is steady. He’s the logic and I’m the emotion. There have been times where I have been physically unwell to the point of struggling mentally. There have been days where I could barely get out of bed, let alone cook dinner or bathe our children. There have been days where all I could do after work is sleep and my life felt so limited and my prayers unanswered in a way that I would see fit. Without minimizing the impact of chronic illness, his care has been full of hope, compassion, unconditional love and Truth.

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Psalm 73:26

I really have a long list of specific examples of amazing people in my life who have let me down through the hole in the roof to Jesus. Friends answering the late night phone calls. Friends watching our kids when surgery recovery hasn’t gone as expected. Friends pointing me back to God’s Word when another voice has tried to creep in. Who is letting you down?

Who are you letting down? If the people around you were to make a list of who is letting them down, would you be on it? Who could say, “Yeah, I couldn’t get there on my own and so (insert your name here) carried me, dug a hole in the roof, and let me down ever so gently to the feet of Jesus.” Who are you willing to carry? Who are you willing to tear the roof off for? Who do you love enough to point back to Jesus?

One of the life changing events I’m alluding to at the beginning of this post was in May. One of my best friends had a massive stroke. One of my best friends who is healthy and active with no high risk factors. Just writing that brings on a whirlwind of emotions. And I wish I could say that our other friends and I were able to carry her, lower her down from a roof and watch Jesus provide instant healing. But it hasn’t worked that way.

It was gathering our closest friends and praying for her healing in our living room. It was bedside prayers in ICU. It’s been shaky hands and wet faces. It’s been tubes and drains and stitches. Part of her skull being removed and then put back again. The healing is happening, even if it’s slower than any of us would like. A year ago we were running together. Now she’s building up her endurance while walking.

Can I just tell you, though? While I struggle with the current state of things, I have seen her family and friends let her down to the feet of Jesus over and over again. And can I just tell you? The friends we are going through this with continue to do that for each other. None of us are walking away unscathed or unchanged. I think we all have our moments so we carry each other when we need to. And some days are really hard, so we tear off the roof and let each other down when we need to. And every time, every single time Jesus is there.

Who are you pointing back to Jesus? Who is pointing you to Jesus? Who is letting you down? Who are you letting down? Who are you tearing apart the roof for? Nobody gets through life alone. It’s not all about us. We’re called carry one another’s burdens. The paralytic couldn’t get to Jesus himself. One man could not have carried him, lifted him to the roof. We need each other.

If your answer to all of these is “no one.” Let’s talk.