Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. . . . They made an opening in the roof above Jesus and... lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Mark 2:3-5, NIV.

     To say that I am a hockey fan is somewhat of an understatement.

   Even though I had been an avid hockey fan since I was a tiny tot, I had never seen a live National Hockey League game. Now I was on my way to the fabulous Forum in Inglewood, California, to see my first NHL game. To say I was excited was another understatement.

   With seven of us jammed in a small car, we had to leave my wheelchair behind. Our plan was to carry me from the entrance of the Forum to our seats. Fortunately for me (and others) I weigh less than 100 pounds. Plans . . . do they ever go right?

When we arrived at the Forum, we could not even get inside the parking lot, let alone up to the entrance. My friends tried to tell the attendant our situation, but to no avail.

I began to worry that they were going to regret bringing me, or that I had ruined the evening. Not so. Don carried me from outside the parking lot all the way to my seat. What an entrance! And what friends!

I remembered this experience when I read about a paralyzed guy and his friends coming to see Jesus. When he and his friends reached the house where Jesus was teaching, they couldn’t get to the entrance either. I wonder if he had any of the same thoughts I had.

Then the wild idea. Why not go up on the roof, cut a hole in it, and voilà! down we go? Insane . . . I love it! Friends add greatly to one’s quality of life.

Because of his faith, not only was the man healed physically but also Jesus forgave his sins.

Unfortunately, Scripture does not tell what Christ thought of the friends and their little escapade. Knowing Him as I do, though, I believe He was as amused as I was. He knew the value of friends. And because of their faith, I tend to believe, the friends also had their sins forgiven and experienced that wonderful blessing of spiritual healing.

What could you do today to show someone that you are a faithful friend?

Used by permission of Health Ministries, North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists.