Day 19 - Issue 23
Hebrews 12:3 NLT
'Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.'
Because I now live as a contemplative, many people appear to think I sit cross-legged in rural tranquillity, gazing into the eyes of God with a beatific smile permanently etched into my face. This is far from reality. But it is what some associate with retreats, contemplation and a life of prayer. In my experience, it’s impossible to escape the realities of life, and probably unwise to attempt to. We can slow life down, make sensible choices over the work we do, exercise some control over our time and lifestyle, but escape life’s difficulties – never. For every decision we take there are consequences, some self-evident, others unintended.
Our inspiration for tackling life with all its ups and downs is Jesus. While God is unknowable to humanity, the fact that he voluntarily chose to be revealed through the incarnation affords us an insight into his character and nature. A quick read of the Gospel narrative provides plenty of examples of pressure which Jesus faced throughout his incarnate life. So is it any wonder as friends of God we meet with opposition? However, some of this pressure is self-induced through reactions to the events life places before each one of us.
Regardless of how I might feel like reacting under pressure, I am invited to consider Jesus, to discern how to live under pressure myself. If Jesus was “tempted in every way…as we are” (Hebrews 4:15, NIV), it was surely not only to empathise with us but to encourage us to endure the unanticipated, unwelcome and uninvited pain that life throws at us. We are to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
QUESTION: Have you grown weary from life’s apparent injustices, disappointments and disasters?
PRAYER: Jesus, teach me how to follow in your footsteps, even when the going is hard.
