As we talked, though, I began to see that there was a more appropriate Bible passage than the one I had initially selected.

Rupa* had been through a very difficult month with her daughter. She told us she felt very alone. Chris and I care about her and support her to the best of our ability, but it is not enough.

That reminded me of something I had heard at a men’s conference a couple of weeks earlier.

I said, “Rupa, what you really need are some mat carriers.”

She looked at me and said, “What?”

So I told her the story of the paralysed man whose friends carried him on a mat to Jesus.

When they arrived, the house was so crowded they couldn’t get through the door. But these friends didn’t give up. Somehow they got their friend onto the roof, made an opening, and lowered him down right in front of Jesus.

Jesus not only healed the man so that he could walk again, but also forgave his sins. His friends had carried him to Jesus, and Jesus met his deepest needs

These were friends who were prepared to carry someone when he couldn’t get there by himself.

Then I said:

“Rupa, I think you need four people like that in your life. Who could be your mat carriers?”

Chris and I told her that we could be two of them. Then we began thinking together about who the other two might be.

Later, I realised something else about that conversation.

I couldn’t have planned it.

I had gone into the conversation with a story in mind. But as I listened to what was actually happening in Rupa’s life, another story became much more appropriate.

I think that is an important part of sharing Jesus naturally.

Instead of asking:

“What message do I need to give this person?”

perhaps we should first ask:

“What is happening in this person’s life, and how might Jesus meet them there?”

That begins with listening.

It is one of the things we practise in the MyFriends Lifestyle—learning to pray for, care for and listen to the people God has already placed around us, and then learning how to share Jesus in ways that connect with what is actually happening in their lives.

I’m opening a new online MyFriends Worldwide group in September. I’ll tell you more about it over the next few weeks.

But for this week, perhaps there are two questions worth thinking about:

Who is God asking you to listen to more carefully?

And:

Who are your mat carriers—the people who will carry you when life or ministry becomes difficult?

Let’s pray:

Lord Jesus, help us to listen well to the people you have placed around us. Give us wisdom to recognise what they really need, and help us point them toward you naturally and sensitively. And thank you for the people who carry us when we need help ourselves. Amen.

P.S. Who do you think would be encouraged by this email? Forward it to them and let them know they can walk alongside experienced cross-cultural evangelists by visiting: https://hereslife.com/encouragement

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(This reflection was written from my own experience and edited with the help of AI.)