Through the Roof: A Story of Faith and Friendship

One of the most striking images in Scripture is of a group of friends who, unable to reach Jesus due to a crowd, removed the roof and lowered the paralytic man down to Jesus.

Two years ago, my life felt much like that man’s: steady yet stagnant. I’d wake up for work, rush through days, rest on weekends, squeeze in an hour of church, and start the cycle again. I have friends I’d see and occasionally go on trips with — nothing wrong, but nothing transformative either. Spiritually, I was functioning, but my faith lived in the margins of my “schedule”.

Around May 2023, a friend invited my friends and me to Feast Monday. I had free time, and so, with no expectations, I went. During worship, I wrestled with self-consciousness: should I lift my hands? Praise out loud? Good thing there were lyrics on the LED screen, so I just sang along. The talk that evening, anchored in biblical truth, felt nourishing. Yet, I treated the whole thing like a pleasant detour — something to revisit when I would like to.

Week after week, though, I found myself returning — not out of deep commitment but because my friends went, and I wanted to complete the series of talks we’d started together. Invitations came to serve, to join a retreat, to join a light group. Each time, I hesitated. Joining the Feast is already new, so accommodating more new experiences would be overwhelming for a person who finds comfort in what’s familiar. I was content being a “seat-warmer” (as Bro Aben would say) because having too much involvement would mean rearranging my routines and showing up more consistently.

Still, my friends persisted. Their quiet example — saying “yes” to light group invitations, to serving — gradually chipped away at my resistance. I eventually agreed to join the Singles Retreat, and that set off a domino effect: light group, then serving in the publication ministry.

Looking back, I see that without my friends’ faithful invitations and their willingness to carry me — much like the four men hoisting the paralytic — I might have not considered consistently showing up in a spiritual community like this. Through their “yes,” I found the courage to say my own.

At the Feast, I met new friends, appreciated God’s goodness even more, and — through other Feasters — was inspired to seek out resources like daily devotionals and books that nourished my soul. Most importantly, I found the opportunity to use what I have to serve. Hopefully, in my own simple way, I’d be able to play my part in God’s plan of healing and restoration.

We are all being pursued by God in ways I can’t even name. Sometimes He reaches us through our friends; sometimes through chance encounters — even on social media. One thing is certain: He meets us where we are.

So come to Him as you are.