How Others Became a Mat For Bringing Our Son to Jesus

One day, while he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting near by (they had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem); and the power of the Lord was with him to heal.^{[a] 18} Just then some men came, carrying a paralyzed man on a bed. They were trying to bring him in and lay him before Jesus;^{[b] 19} but finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the middle of the crowd^[c] in front of Jesus. Luke 5:17-19
The man was dependent on others who saw his need. We don’t know much about these men. Were they inconvenienced? How well did they know each other?
Several years ago, something miraculous happened.
My oldest son’s health deteriorated. Months of stomach issues followed by unexpected epileptic seizures left us exhausted. After months of seeking medical treatment and diagnosis, we reached a dead end.
“Why don’t you got to Mayo Clinic?” Someone suggested.
Though the idea seemed great, how would we get there? Who would watch our other two kids for a week?
I let the idea slide away. In my mind, it didn’t seem realistic.
But a few weeks later, his doctor encouraged us to consider pursuing Mayo Clinic.
“OK,” I thought. “Maybe God  speaking here.”
After, praying about it and laying my concerns at Jesus’ feet, my husband and I decided to pursue it. But how would this come together?
I thought about our “tribe.” Our church family and neighbors with whom we do life. It seemed risky to ask others to take on such a great responsibility. We would depend on them to be “us” in our absence-feeding my kids, getting them to school (or helping home school), helping with homework, transporting my son to karate, and making sure they were clothed and ready for their impending activities.
Who would do that?
Friends. People like the men who carried the man to Jesus. People who love you enough to see what you need and are willing to be inconvenienced to help you get there.
As they worked together, they wove a mat which carried my son; despite the distance. The days wove together seamlessly. The individual threads connected with one another; some never having been in contact before. They became our support. Because they loved us.
The trip to Mayo holds its own miraculous testimony. My son found treatment and a diagnosis. He has recovered from his stomach issues and is in a stable place with the epilepsy.
We are forever thankful for our friends who brought him in front of Jesus.
This post is written for Five Minute Friday. Come join us! http://fiveminutefriday.com/
*I may have gone over the five minute limit here. It’s a good story 🙂