Last week, this quote flashed up on my Instagram. I can’t remember who posted it but it really stuck with me. I think most of us would say that life is tough at the moment. We are all facing challenges in lock down.
Some of those reading this will still be working full time on the front line, keeping our country going. Some will be navigating working from home, either on their own, with a partner, or whilst attempting to home school their children at the same time. Some will have been furloughed and will be finding it hard to fill their time, wishing they were at work instead. Some will be business owners who have lost their business, scared for the future. Some will be teenagers, trying to do home school work. Some will have had exams cancelled. Some will wish they’d had their exams cancelled (fingers crossed for next year eh?!) What is for sure, is that while we’re not all in the same boat, we’re all navigating a new normal. Life is rough, so you gotta be tough. Right?!
Wrong. I admire Jonny Cash on many levels, but I really think he got this one wrong.
You see, when we’re dealing with difficult situations, it can be easy to put on a brave face. To toughen up, to do the British thing and have a 'stiff upper lip.' We’ve grown accustomed to just ‘getting on with it’ when the road gets hard. But this isn’t God’s intention for us and it certainly isn’t how we see Jesus deal with crisis in the Bible. So what can we learn from his example about how to deal with the tough times?
Firstly, we can learn to be honest about how we are feeling. Jesus was open about his emotions. If you read the New Testament, you’ll soon realise that his didn’t wander around the streets of Galilee blocking out his feelings. He felt things, and he felt them deeply. Some of you might be familiar with the story of Lazarus from John’s gospel. The story basically outlines the death of one of Jesus’ best friends and how Jesus raised him back to life. And yes, the ending is a happy one, but if you read the whole story, you’ll find right in the middle, that Jesus worked through his grief in a very real way. When he arrived at Lazarus’ tomb, he wept – real tears of sadness. His emotional reaction was so great that the people around even commented on it, saying “See how much he loved him!” Jesus didn’t put on a brave face, he didn’t ‘get tough’. He was real about his feelings and its okay for us to be real about them too.
But crying wasn’t Jesus’ only reaction to Lazarus’ death. When he reached Lazarus’ tomb and saw Lazarus’ sisters crying, the Bible says that he was “deeply moved and troubled”. Jesus saw the sadness that those that he loved were feeling and it impacted him. He didn’t remove himself from their situation or find better things to do with his time. Their feelings mattered to him. And therein lies the second thing we can learn from Jesus’ example. It matters to him how we are feeling.
As one theologian John Piper puts it:
“Jesus wept. And in these tears we see that God does not stand aloof to the pains of our existence. He has drawn near.”
This is why in Matthew 11:28-29, Jesus says “Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest.” He cares about the things that are bothering us and the things that are making life especially tough at the moment. He wants to hear about them and he wants to give us rest. So yes, life is rough, but we don’t have to be tough. We can be real with God about what we’re feeling and we can know that he cares deeply about it. The concerns, the pain, the questions and the uncertainties. As 1 Peter 5: 7 sums up so well, “Leave you worries with him, because he cares for you.”
Prayer
Father, Thank you that we matter to you. Thank you that you care about every detail of our lives from the biggest to the smallest. Help us to give our cares to you, knowing that you love us and that in you, we can find the rest we need. Amen.
Challenge
Listen to these songs and let your feelings out! You could pray, talk to a family member or friend (thank the lord for Zoom!) about how you feel.
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