Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 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 2:3,4).

My father-in-law is a retired manager of a national wildlife refuge, and while there it wasn’t uncommon for hikers to get lost in the backcountry. He used to tell stories of the folks he’d found who had wandered for hours and days while exposed to the elements and without food and water.

He always kept lots of water and chocolate bars in his vehicle for these occasions. When he’d find a missing hiker he would throw one of each in their direction, wait for them to consume both, and then ask them if they were all right. 

Why? Instead of running toward help they’d often push it away, because they were injured and scared and not in their right minds. Fluids and a little chocolate brought most back to their senses enough to articulate and accept the help they needed.

My father-in-law didn’t wait at the boundary of the backcountry for the lost hikers to stumble out on their own; he went searching for them. The men in Mark 2 (presumably) didn’t wait for their friend to start moving in Jesus’ direction however he could in his limited physical state. They picked up his mat and got him there through crowds of people and one giant hole in a roof! 

When we’ve been wandering alone in the wilderness it can be hard to articulate what hurts, or even that we need help at all. Sometimes the injury is so deep that it leaves us paralyzed.

Sometimes we need someone to come looking for us and throw us a proverbial bottle of water and chocolate bar, and sometimes we need friends to just pick us up already and help us get closer to Healing!

That could look like a phone call or text, a card, an invitation to coffee or a walk. It’s the gift of flowers, a meal delivered, or a listening ear on days that you know are hard. It’s a hug, a silly meme or reel, or a surprise care package. It’s a prayer sent via email or text so it can be read and savored. It’s a regular reminder of who they are and what God says about them, and sometimes it’s a literal chocolate bar.

Are we looking for the paralyzed around us? The dazed and the hurting, the lost and the lonely? We were Made on Purpose for a Purpose, and that purpose is to bring those around us to Jesus. Most of us aren’t coming across lost hikers on a regular basis, but maybe giving out bottles of water and chocolate bars is still a way you can bring people around you closer to Jesus? :) Ask Him to show you who needs your help today.