Quitting Before The Race Starts

1And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. 2Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. 3Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. 4And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.
Mark 2:1-4 NKJV

I believe we can learn a LOT from this story. I’d be willing to suggest we’ve all faced a similar situation in our lives. As a matter of fact, I’m pretty sure someone is facing this very circumstance right now.

Something’s wrong.
You’re trying to fix something.
You want to get better.
There’s a pressing matter.
You’re overwhelmed.
Under-appreciated.
Marriage, parenting, job, and church have become nothing but routine.
There’s a hurt.
There’s a habit.
There’s a hang-up.
You’re reaching for something.
There’s an obstacle.
Something’s blocking the way.
You can’t get around it.
You can’t climb over it.

At least that’s what you perceive. You’ve defeated yourself before trying. It was game over before the game started.

Yet, here’s these 4 guys carrying a paralytic. CARRYING him. He wasn’t in a wheelchair. It wasn’t comfortable. It wasn’t easy. These dudes were CARRYING him. Tired and sore, they didn’t give up when they saw the crowd, they didn’t turn away feeling defeated and let down. NO! They MADE A WAY! They got creative, climbed up the building, broke through the roof, and lowered the dude down that way. They didn’t give up. They didn’t back down. They didn’t turn away and here’s the result:

5When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”
Mark 2:5 NKJV

Reflect:

• What have you given up on?
• What obstacle(s) has got in the way?
• How do you feel when you encounter obstacles?
• What if the blessing you desire is just around the corner? Are you ready to give it another try?