A True Friend Sacrifices

“Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on.” Mark 2:4 NIV

In an email I received from Six Minute Mile yesterday, I held back tears as I read their Minute 6: Daily Inspiration story—a story that illustrated a picture of true friendship. This is what the writer said: Motor neurone disease (MND) is a rare but devastating condition that limits the body’s ability to perform muscular activity. It is related to ALS and affects about 270,000 people globally, including former Leeds Rhinos rugby player Rob Burrow. Since being diagnosed in 2019, the rugby star has lost the ability to speak and walk, but he is still leading the fight against MND in the UK. Recently, his former teammate Kevin Sinfield pushed Rob’s wheelchair along the course in the inaugural Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon. Sinfield has raised about $10 million on behalf of his friend over the past few years. When the duo approached the finish line, Sinfield stopped and hoisted Rob out of his wheelchair. He kissed his friend on the cheek and said:“You’re not going to beat me, Rob, we are finishing together.” Do you just love that or what? We would all count ourselves blessed to have a friend like that. 

And you know, while the world defines a friend as someone who has a strong liking for and trust in another, the Bible defines a friend as someone who loves like Jesus and puts that love into action, sacrificing time and effort to help another when necessary—as was illustrated in the story of the paralyzed man. When his friends could not carry him in to see Jesus to receive the healing you can be sure he so desperately wanted, “they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on.” The man was not only healed because of the efforts of his friends but was forgiven as well. Wow right? 

So surround yourself with true friends who love you like Jesus and care enough about you to pray for you and personally tend to your needs. And be that friend to others as well, ready and willing to help them. This is what true friendship looks like. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for showing us what it means to be a true friend. You gave up your Son who gave up His life so that we could have healing and forgiveness. Help us to love others in the same way Lord. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!