Nobody has to carry the whole mat.
Mark 2 Initiative brings people together to help neighbors who are struggling with practical needs they cannot handle alone. Sometimes that means fixing something around the house, clearing snow, providing a ride, making a phone call, or simply showing up.
We don't have to solve someone's whole life. We just have to be willing to grab a corner.
In Mark 2, four men brought a friend to Jesus because he couldn't get there on his own. So they carried him.
When the crowd blocked the way, they didn't quit. They climbed onto the roof, opened it up, and lowered their friend down to Jesus.
They couldn't heal him. They couldn't fix everything that was wrong. But they could carry the mat.
That's what the Mark 2 Initiative is about. There are people all around us carrying burdens they were never meant to carry alone. We may not be able to fix everything, but each of us can grab a corner and help carry the load.
Nobody has to carry the whole mat.
“And when Jesus saw their faith...” — Mark 2:5
A few years ago, the Red Cross called me and asked if I could plow a driveway for an older gentleman who needed some help. I did, and from then on I would run up and plow him out whenever we got 6 inches or more. He called me one day out of the blue. His wife had gotten sick and had been placed in hospice. He told me he had been sitting at home alone for 9 days and didn’t have anyone to talk to, and he just needed somebody to talk about things with.
So we talked.
I started calling him and running up to Conifer to see him fairly regularly. His wife passed away shortly after this, and somewhere along the way he went from being a guy whose driveway I plowed to being my friend and part of my life. He even went to church with me a few times. Another friend of mine, who works in the financial world, stepped in when we discovered his house was headed toward foreclosure. His wife had always handled the finances, and things had started slipping even before she became sick. My friend helped get the foreclosure stopped while they worked through everything.
Some time went by, and my friend had a heart attack and died.
The whole experience has affected me in a way I can’t fully explain. It affected my financial advisor friend too. We live in a pretty comfortable culture, and I think sometimes that comfort keeps us from seeing people right around us who are really struggling.
Not necessarily people looking for a handout. Sometimes people just need a hand.
There are people around us who need someone to talk to once in a while. Someone to have lunch with. Someone to notice that their fence is falling down and they can’t afford to fix it. Someone to help clean up the yard. Someone to sit across the table and listen.
There are people coming into the final chapters of their lives who have no idea how they’re going to make the next rent or mortgage payment, straighten out their finances, fix something that is broken, or simply navigate life alone. There are young people who have simply lost hope because the car they rely on for life is broken and there isn't a visible solution.
So here’s the deal.
I want to start paying better attention.
I have some friends from my church who I know will help me put together a work crew when somebody genuinely needs a hand. Maybe we fix a fence. Put brakes on the car. Maybe we do a cleanup. Maybe we haul some junk away. Maybe we help figure out who to call when the problem is something we can’t fix. And sometimes maybe we don’t fix anything at all. Maybe we just make a phone call, have lunch, listen, pray, or remind somebody that they haven’t been forgotten.
The guys in Mark 2 carried the mat because their friend couldn’t get there on his own. I think we could use a few more Mat Carriers.
Would you like to be one of them? You don’t have to be a carpenter or have a bunch of money. Maybe you can swing a hammer. Maybe you can cook a meal. Maybe you understand finances. Maybe you have a truck. Maybe you’re simply willing to make a phone call and listen.
And if you’re the one who needs a hand, or you know somebody who does, maybe we can help.
Sometimes people need a hand. Sometimes they need a hug. Sometimes they just need to know somebody sees them and know that we're all in this together.
Let’s carry a few mats. Grab a corner.
Need a Hand?
Grab a Corner
You don't need to be a pastor, counselor, contractor, or superhero. You just need to be willing to help.
Maybe you can shovel a driveway, repair a faucet, give someone a ride, make a meal, move a piece of furniture, visit someone who's lonely, or simply make a phone call.
You don't have to carry the whole mat.
Just grab a corner.