Hey there reader, thank you for stopping by! Today I’m getting into friendships. I’ve been blessed to have some truly amazing friendships. Even on days when I feel lonely, I know that I can turn to these people and they care about me and my well-being -and it’s a 2-way street, I care about them and their well-being! We know that friendships, familial relationships, and community involvement are all critical to wellness (I encourage you to dive into a google search of the Blue Zones if you haven’t already read about it). 

Have you ever thought about what the bible says about friendships?

It’s pretty evident all throughout the bible that church community and involvement were an integral part of society. But on a more personal level, I want to highlight a story from Mark 2:1-5, the story of Jesus healing the paralytic man. Jesus was teaching in a space that was so crowded people were pushing up against each other. It was so packed, you couldn’t even get close outside the front door. Now a group of 5 men came seeking a miracle. 1 of the friends was paralyzed and the other 4 carried him. 

Let’s start by saying -WOW it’s impressive 4 men cared so much for this friend that they physically carried him any distance at all. Since they couldn’t get in the door, they hoisted that friend up onto the roof and literally tore a hole through to the ceiling. Can we pause (selah) and really think that over? Can you visualize it? How hard would it be to carry a person up on top of a house? In their time, was this like carrying a person on a rug? I doubt they had a stretcher with handholds. How much determination, strength, courage, and faith would that take?

Those 4 friends lowered their paralyzed friend down through the hole in the roof right in front of Jesus. And do you know what Jesus said? “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” The bible doesn’t say he saw the paralyzed man’s faith, as in just the 1 person desperately wanting the miracle. It says that he saw “their” faith, as in ALL of them.

This man was healed by his friend’s faith.

Does that give you the feels? It does me! These friends and their faith were the reason for the miracle. So I ask you, what friends are you surrounding yourself with? Are they the kind of friends that build you up? Support you? Are they praying for you and your well-being? Who are you spending your time with and your mental energy on? 

Sometimes our friendships change, mature, digress, etc. Sometimes people you’re close with fall away and sometimes this is for the better. It is through prayer and wisdom that you discern who to surround yourself with. Who you can lift up to God without the expense of your own values. The Bible says that Jesus came to heal the sick. That it is the sick who need a doctor, not the healthy. He was referencing the spiritually sick versus spiritually healthy and he himself as the doctor (Mark 2:17). Jesus came and ate with sinners and it confused the people of the time. Jesus was so solid in who He is that his presence and authority lifted these people into spiritual wellness.

So I reference this as a word of caution -not to give up on friendships where you can spiritually lift someone up, but also to not remain in a relationship that spiritually depletes you.

Seek first the kingdom of God - love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind (Matthew 22:37). Jesus said that this is the most important commandment. As a Christian, you are gifted with the Holy Spirit to fill you. If you are seeking God in this way, he will fulfill you, and it will allow you to lead others to Christ. If someone is able to pull you away from this, then perhaps it is time to consider if it is time for you to pull away from them.  

My last note on this is this, as I sit down for the 3rd or 4th time to finish this, I opened my women’s group chat channel. In it, my dear friend begins her message with, “Good morning friends! You are loved, prayed over, and cherished.” It was so timely! So let me pass this sentiment on to you Dear Reader. I pray that you feel surrounded by the love of the Father, that you feel comforted knowing that someone in this world is praying for all the good things God has planned for you, and that you are cherished as a child of God. 

As my mother used to share with me, now I’ll share with you, “Have a rainbow, sparkly, sunshiney kind of day!” And reach out to me in the Seeking Selah Yoga community. You can find me and other wellness related articles, videos, memes on Facebook and Instagram.  

For reference: Mark 2:1-5 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 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. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”