Not the Solutionናሙና

Some of the hardest battles that we will fight are the ones fought in the dark. Darkness seems to make everything worse and there is nothing darker than an overwhelmed soul. So many things stop making sense and doing anything other than just “holding on” feels impossible. It is often in these dark unexpected times that we make permanent decisions that will destroy our future and greatly impact the future of those closest to us. One of the lies we tell ourselves when life becomes uncertain is that no one can possibly relate.

This is when I like to share one of my favorite stories from the life of Jesus.

The story takes place on the night that Jesus would be arrested in Gethsemane. This was a place that He would go alone to pray but, on this night, he brought his disciples. As He was approaching the crucifixion it seems that Jesus wanted to have people around him that cared but ended up very alone. In the dark.

There is much that could be said here, but what we must not forget is that Jesus is God the Son and one with God the Father. At this moment in time, though, there would be a temporary separation between the two as Jesus took sin upon Himself and experienced rejection, separation, and anguish.

Jesus was living through all of this as the darkness of the hour, of sin and of humanity began to overwhelm Him.

Jesus is God, did no wrong, was giving everything to serve others and STILL experienced sorrow and grief. If Jesus experienced these things, then we must believe they will be a part of the normal life experience. We don’t want to live through any of this, but when it comes, we can be comforted knowing that we are not alone and that there is a path forward.

So, what lessons can we take from the story of Jesus as He lived through the darkness of rejection and anguish?

1. We are not alone.
2. It is the mission that carries us forward.
3. We do not live for ourselves.
4. Timing does not always make sense.
5. We must look outside of ourselves for Hope.

If even Jesus the Son of God found Himself in the dark, then so will you! But the good news is, you don’t have to stay there!