I’m eating Frosted Circus Animal cookies for breakfast. And I wonder why I am not losing weight?

But you know what? It doesn’t matter because I am happy. More and More, as I live my life and as I remember what it is to take the next step, I am happy. I am happy that God has given me friendship. God has given me relationships. God has given me so much.

I remember giving a sermon at camp about Luke 5 and the friends and the paralytic. I had become spiritually paralyzed when Mandy left me. I found myself at the bottom of the bottle; at the end of my rope of faith. I could not move forward in my walk, I had become lame.

And I praise God for my friends. If it was not for my friends to come along and carry me when I could not walk, I would of never ended up before Christ. If my friends never dug through the roof of my past relationship, I would of never been able to be placed at the feet of Christ. If they did not sacrifice their time to grieve with me, to carry me, to walk with me… I would not be able to stand today.

And now? Now i’m learning how to walk again. In Scripture, we have that faith of his friends had healed him and that he walked out carrying his mat. I wonder what the first steps felt like? Where the first steps, when he was new again, where they awkward? Shaky? Did he have to rely on his friends for balance? Here was a man, who had not walked, but now was taking steps. Did he gasp at every step? was every breath he took a praise to God? I believe it was. I believe that the first steps after healing from a great event in your life, you still need to walk with your friends. Let them teach you their balance, rely on them. Allow them to aid in your recovery.

As I learn, as I remember what it is to walk, I rely on those around me. Let the strength of God flow through them and into me. Let me not take steps toward lameness again, but let me walk in the ever flowing Grace of God.

My friends, I thank you.