Weep For Yourselves

"A large crowd of people followed Him; among them were women beating their breast and wailing for Him, but Jesus turned to them and said, 'Women of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, weep rather for yourselves and for your children.'" - Luke 23:27-28

As I was kneeling in mass today for All Saint's Day, I thought about how bad I felt for Jesus. He's the last person people think about in their lives some times and gets pushed aside for other things. But as I thought about this, all of a sudden I felt a pain in my chest and my eyes welled up with tears. These words came to me: "women of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, weep rather for yourselves and for your children."

And then the reality of all we suffer and all the sin around us hit me so hard. At a moment when Jesus was being beaten, spat at, whipped and ordered to march to be crucified, He is warning us of our own sorrows. I see so much sadness in the world, so much pain. I see kids without parents, hate, anger, pain of abandonment, marriages that are failing, infidelities, families torn apart by betrayal, and so many young kids/ adults that make mistakes because they didn't think things out properly, because they didn't know God is real and can guide them. So we end up living in a world in which despite being brutally treated, Jesus actually felt sorrow for us. And then, no matter how much hurt exists in us and how empty we could feel, we actually think to ourselves that we're doing God the favor by praying or by going to church. "I don't feel like it today," you say, or, "I just don't have time, I have so much to do." None of us does God the favor by this, we're the ones that need the prayer and are in desperate need of His help, even in the smallest things.

I hope you reflect about your lives today. Think about the pain you feel or have felt growing up. The relationships you're in that are broken and the difficult decisions you need to make. Or about those bills that keep adding up and don't let you sleep at night. Before you doubt bowing down before the power of God to lift you up, remember Jesus' words, "do not weep for me, weep rather for yourselves."

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, again You strike me down and humble me into seeing the truth. I need so much of You because all that I am is broken and only Your hands can heal and renew life. Lord, help me to open my eyes, both physical and spiritual, so that I can truly live my life as Your follower. In Your Name we pray, amen.

When The Ground Shakes From Under Us

"God is our strength and protection, an ever-present help in affliction. We will not fear, therefore, though the earth be shaken and the mountains plunge into the deepest ocean, though its waters foam and roar, though the mountains quake and totter. For with us is the Lord of hosts, the God of Jacob, our stronghold." - Psalm 46:1-3

The earth definitely shakes underneath us at times, doesn't it? It might not literally happen, but things happen in our lives that shake us to our very core and bring real pain and despair into our lives. The psalmist knew this clearly. He lived in a time where the people studied nature and the seasons because any disaster or change could severely affect their livelihood. Therefore, he was wise in comparing despair in our own lives to a violent natural disaster. It affects our whole being and leaves us feeling without hope and no way out. But despite the initial fear, the psalmist, finds the faith to say that no matter what goes on, he will trust in the Lord, his source of strength.

Of course this is hard to do! But by putting your faith in the Lord, where your own strength fails, the Lord will pick up. That's how people get through so many tragedies in their lives. They trust in the Lord. Though the ground shakes right under them, they trust in the Lord.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, without You I have no place to turn and no solution for my troubles. Deliver me Lord as I choose to trust in You and look for You for strength. In Your Name we pray, amen.