Loyalty and Commitment

Loyalty and Commitment
"But not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, He said, ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven you.’”
LUKE 5:19-20
The friends of the paralyzed man had a plan. They were committed to getting their friend to Jesus. The opposition however, proved to be more than they anticipated. They quickly learned that getting their friend to Jesus was no easy task. How easy would it have been to say, "Oh well, we tried! It must not be God's will." Not these friends. Their loyalty would not be trumped by what they saw as an impossibility. To lift a grown man on a stretcher is very strenuous. To lift a grown man on a
stretcher up on a roof and then lower him down through a hole is total commitment!

I love how this devo can be interpreted in so many scenarios. This crowd full of people eager to see Jesus put aside their own personal greed to help out a man that was unable to see Jesus given his disability. Their loyalty to their friend and their loyalty to Jesus made it possible for them to come together and push through this obstacle.

For myself, especially recently as a 2nd semester senior, I have found myself getting easily discouraged by minor inconveniences. I would often use an excuse or simply accept the consequences of my actions or rather, lack of action. I have been trying to get out of this funk and trying find the motivation and strength I need to push through these mental obstacles. When I feel discouraged, it has become so important to say "just a little more," "you're almost there," "it will be one less thing to worry about!" Just thinking about today, I have had to constantly remind myself to keep going. Writing this english paper, stretching just a litttlleee further or holding it for an extra 10 seconds, or even when convincing myself to get up at a time earlier than 12 in the afternoon. I was finding myself trying to take the easy way out or setting low expectations for myself. This story in Luke is a reminder to stay loyal to myself, my peers, my family, and God. I am thankful that these devos started when they did. I look forward to committing myself to them. I'm so excited to start this with all of you and look forward to taking in all the different perspectives and thoughts that grow from these devos!