Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. 

The desperate and imposing faith of friends. 

When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.

‭‭Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭18‬-‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Never underestimate the power of your circle. 

So sold out and convinced of the power of Jesus, it was the man’s friends willing to go to great lengths on his behalf, that resulted in his healing. 

Recently hospitalized myself, the most important outcome wasn’t so much my healing as the discovery of my own circle. 

My nearest and dearest friends and even Facebook people from around the globe held me up to Jesus in faith that I would emerge to walk out of that hospital whole and healed. 

Who in this life can you count on to carry your mat?

Being and staying connected with people who pray for you and are willing to lift you up is the very heart of Christian community. 

Get connected and stay connected. 

Be a reliable link in a circle you can count on, and one who can also count on you at desperate times to help carry their mat with a desperate and imposing faith.