Friday, April 3, 2009

34th Day of Lent

Reality Check

32They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. 33"We are going up to Jerusalem," he said, "and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, 34who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise." Mark 10: 32-34 The Message

Rarely, if ever, does God reveal a game plan for our lives. Suffering and hardship usually catch us by surprise, or at least startle us. Before entering Jerusalem, where Jesus would face the ultimate in suffering, he stops to recount to his disciples what lay ahead. It’s as if he’s giving them a reality-check moment, spelling out the pain that is before him and his followers as they make their way to Jerusalem. He concludes with a reminder that he will rise again, offering hope beyond what anyone could imagine. His was a reality-check which tipped the scales from misery to extraordinary joy.

What would a reality check on your life look like right now? Where do you find hope and joy?

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