Holy Week

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"And he said to them, 'My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.' And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, 'Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.' And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, 'Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour?'"

Mark 14:34-37, ESV

And so we once again enter Holy Week. It is bookended by celebration: the triumphal entry of Palm Sunday and the triumphal eternity of Easter.

But in between is much suffering, confusion, doubt, uncertainty, and darkness.

That is much like life, I suppose. Our entry into the world is met with celebration and, for followers of Jesus, our exit is met with a celebration in heaven. The in-between contains a few mountains and many valleys. The mountaintops give us hope and courage to continue, but, if we're honest, there are far more valleys.

This past week was one of deep valleys. Oh, how God provided. He provided in so many ways, one of which was my Squirrel. Through tears and exhaustion, he stayed by my side, offering no advice, no spiritual platitudes, no judgement. He just...stayed. And that was enough. In fact, it was exactly what I needed.

Jesus himself needed companionship during his darkest hour, though he didn't receive it, at least through earthly means.

It was a good reminder to me that when someone is hurting, more often than not, they don't need us to fix anything for them. They just need us to be there.

Is there someone this week you know who is crying out in their Gethsemane? Perhaps you could reach out and offer to listen.

Say nothing.

Your presence will speak more powerfully than your words ever could.