This morning’s verse reminds me of the blessing of belonging to a body of believers.
Tag: suffering
A personal log of loss and pain can either soften us toward our travel companions or callous our hearts.
If we’ll keep showing up with our scant jar and jug each day and pouring ourselves out to God first, He’ll surely sustain us.
This is a core memory for me. I was not quite four and certainly not allowed to sit in the beautiful pink velvet armchair that had belonged to my great-grandmother. I was pretty certain it was reserved for princesses; I had never seen another soul sit in said chair. Yet my mother had directed me and my brother to perch in the throne of pink velvet and I obliged. Then my baby sister was settled between us like sapphire in open prongs.
Jesus knew the limitations of His disciples. He realized they could not alleviate His pain, but He had hoped that they might, at the very least, keep pace with Him that final night. They did not know the future He was facing or the agony He would endure, but they could be present in His affliction. In those moments of anguish, in the time and space where Jesus set His face like flint toward the tasks at hand, He was simply wanting a witness for His pain.
Our Savior held fast to the values He and His Father had set long before the pain and suffering rolled in and clouded His view. I’m convinced His commitment to Kingdom amidst His suffering has implications for our own seasons of sorrow.
To ‘know’ as described in scripture is so much more than a simple introduction or a shared meal. Knowing implies a oneness, an intermingling of souls and an amalgamated future. To ‘know’ Christ is to abandon ourselves to Him entirely without regard for personal well-being or promotion. That being said, how many of us truly ‘know’ Him?
Spiritual maturity looks far different from physical maturity. It’s hands outstretched to receive prison guard or pauper attire. Feet set to follow a path to a place undesired. Spiritual maturity means saying ‘yes’ even when we are wholly unsure about the outcome or dreading the next temporary destination. The relationship with our God always trumps the unpleasantness of our circumstances. We trust our Father to take us Home and we will endure whatever might bring Him glory between here and there.
I have long seen Joseph as a type of Christ, his life given for the salvation of many. But today I see Joseph as a type of us, too. Joseph was so secure in his sonship, so confident in his father’s love, that he happily carried out his wishes, even if that made him a target for the jealousies of others.