Once upon a time, four friends brought a seriously ill buddy down from the rooftop and asked Jesus for a favor. Without hesitation, Jesus heals their friend but the editor wrote this line"..they were unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd." I often wonder about certain folks who find it difficult to get near the Lord because there’s something or someone, blocking their way. Let me share a story in the form of an allegory about people who feel guilty about their past and live in the "The City of Regret"I had not really planned to take a trip this year, yet I found myself packing anyway. And off I went, dreaming it. I was on another guilt trip. I booked my reservations on Wish I Had airlines. I didn’t check my bags since everyone carries their bags on this airline. And I could see that people from all over the world were with like me dragging under the weight of bags they had packed themselves. I caught a cab to Last Resort Hotel, the driver taking the whole trip backwards, looking over his shoulder. And there I found the ballroom where my event would be held: The Annual Pity Party. As I checked in, I saw all my old colleagues were on the guest list: The Done Family–Woulda, Coulda, and Shoulda; both of the members of the Opportunity family were there–Missed and Lost. All the Yesterdays were there, too; there were too many to count, but all would have sad stories to share. Shattered Dreams and Broken Promises would be there, too, along with their friends Don’t Blame Me and I Couldn’t Help It. And of course, hours of entertainment would be provided by that renowned storyteller It’s Their Fault. As I prepared to settle in for a really long night, I realized that one person had the power to send all those people home and break up the party: me. All I had to do was, with some help, was to return to the present and welcome the new day with hope.
Unfortunately, many people suffer with their guilt from the past, always looking over their shoulders, always rehearsing what might have been, should have been, would have been, Always licking old wounds like a divorce, a betrayal, a disappointment, an unfairness–that’s a lot of people blocking the way. No wonder they are unable to get near Jesus. Our phobias, fears, defeats, sins and guilt get in the way. But hopefully you have friends who accept you as you are and will take you to meet their good buddy Jesus. The man from the City of Regret said that, with the help of a good friend, he could look to the future of love rather than a past of regret.
Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that they reach out to someone and help them bypass the crowd–those ghostly shades of regret, guilt and despair–and bring them to Jesus, because the fact is that they won’t get there without you. Or, to put it simple, YOU ARE THEIR DESIGNATED FRIEND.
