When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. “Where have you put him?” he asked them. They told him, “Lord, come and see.”
Then Jesus wept. The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!”
John 11:32-36
Jesus never shied away from uncomfortable or challenging emotions and/or situations. While he continued to keep His eye on eternity and put His hope in something more, he also didn’t push away any feelings He felt like written in the story above with Lazarus’ death. It is said that Jesus felt both a deep anger well up inside of him, and He also wept with those who were weeping.
We can choose to be grateful for whatever our blessings may be in this season, while we also giving ourselves the space to experience any sadness or disappointments that may have come along with the changes of 2020. May we not become absorbed completely in our feelings of sadness, despair, or disappointment but rather lay these feelings at the feet of Jesus and asking Him to do his way with whatever is currently welling up inside of our hearts.
Hope Ministries is beyond grateful for each trip we have been able to make in Tanzania; we are grateful for all the lives we have been able to impact and touch. And at the same time, we are laying our strong yearning to go back to Tanzania at the feet of Jesus. Hoping in due timing, we will be able to make that journey again.
With Love,
Hope Ministries