More Important

As always, I wait on God to supply the material for my blog posts. That, and the time to write. Sometimes I just have to reprioritize all that is vying for my attention and move that which is more important to the top of the list. Thus, this new post.

Helping a Friend in Need

I have been reading and discussing a great book, “Faith, Doubt, and God’s Mysterious Timing,” with a friend over the last several months. It is written by Laurie Polich Short. Within each chapter, she generally uses three stories from the Bible to drive her point home. In a chapter titled, “When in Doubt, Look at Jesus,” Laurie used the story of four friends going to great lengths to help their paralytic friend. I think great lengths might be an understatement. They dug through the roof where Jesus was teaching and lowered their paralyzed friend on a mat to get him to Jesus. That’s how badly they wanted healing for their friend. Imagine their surprise when Jesus’ response was “Son, your sins are forgiven.” I have a feeling they looked at one another with a puzzled look. “Huh?”

A Greater Need

Jesus, of course, was using this as another teaching moment. You see, there were teachers of the law in attendance, and He knew that they were silently accusing Him of blasphemy. Jesus wanted them to know that He, the Son of Man, had the authority to forgive sins on earth. Jesus also knew that it was more important that the man’s sins be forgiven than his ability to walk be restored. So, even though the latter was the intention of his friends, Jesus addressed what was more important first—the forgiveness of sins.

Physical Healing

Once Jesus made his point, he addressed the paralytic again:

“I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Mark 2:11-12 NIV

Wait–what?

I got a surprise, much like the paralytic’s friends, recently. I, too, went looking for one thing and found another. A headache that won’t quit has had my attention for nearly 3 months now. In my quest to solve that problem, another one has been uncovered that is apparently more important. It isn’t life-threatening, but it IS life-altering. This new discovery has rocked my world, but, at the end of the day, I need to look at it as a blessing. Jesus ALWAYS knows what is more important. So, I pay attention, and rearrange my ducks yet again.

In case you are in need of a reminder too:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV

The Blessing of Community

On a side note, I am touched by the effort put forth by the paralytic’s friends to help him. I have an equally dedicated collection of friends and family who have gone to great lengths to help me as well. That brings me great comfort in the midst of such uncertainty. They are such a blessing to me. I pray that you are also blessed with a wonderful support network on which you can lean in good times and in bad. After all, we were made for community.