When I was younger, I moved to a new town and started a new job. I was really excited about working in a new place and meeting new people. But one thing I was a little nervous about was making new friends.
I was lucky because early on I met someone that I thought I would be great friends with; so I did what you do with new friends and we hung out a lot. We did things that he liked to do, and we did things I liked to do. I thought we were becoming great friends, but later I found out that he didn’t feel the same way.
He said some things that hurt my feelings and when I asked him about it, I will never forget what he said: “Why don’t you quit trying so hard. I already have 3 friends I don't need any more".
I can’t tell you how much that hurt me. It was a real struggle to figure out how to act around this person after that. It felt like I was constantly walking on eggshells, trying not to say or do the wrong thing to upset him.
Have you ever had a moment like that? Where no matter what you did – things just seemed hard and difficult, everything was a struggle.
I think we all know what it’s like to struggle from time to time. When we struggle it’s like we are being tied up in emotional knots. The struggles we go through make life extra hard!
Things like balancing responsibilities, trying to pay the bills, making time for yourself and being a good parent. All of these things can be difficult and when we struggle with them or with other things we can feel like one giant knot. Sometimes when we struggle we don’t know where to turn.
Jesus knew what it was like to struggle even though he was God's son. Check this out. In the Bible, we are told that Jesus struggled in every way that we do. The only difference is that he never sinned.
So that means that Jesus felt everything we feel. He dealt with the same pressures we deal with and He has walked in our shoes. He knows exactly what it’s like to try to navigate the daily struggles that we have.
There was even this one time where one of Jesus' closest friends betrayed him. Have you ever felt like a friend let you down? Well, Jesus knows exactly what that feels like. His friend’s name was Judas, and when Jesus needed him most, he turned his back on him and actually lied about Jesus getting him arrested in front of the rest of his friends.
One thing that I think is so interesting is what happened as Judas was betraying Jesus; the rest of his friends the disciples wanted to put up a fight. Peter even cut another dude’s ear off. Things got out of hand pretty fast. But at that moment Jesus didn’t let the struggle tie him up in knots. Instead, Jesus calmed his friends and the authorities. He brought comfort, guidance, and peace to a very difficult situation.
There are all kinds of situations in life that can be difficult. We all struggle in one way or another, but the amazing thing is with Jesus we don’t have to feel like we are always tied up in knots.
You can remember that Jesus knows exactly what you're going through and He is always willing to help you find comfort, guidance, and peace.
Today, we should remember we don’t have to get caught up and tied up in the struggles we face. Because Jesus knows exactly what we are going through and we can trust that He will always come to our rescue!
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