Down The Hard Path
“Jesus commanded Peter, ‘Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?’”
John 18:11
In Gethsemane, as Jesus agonized over the cross that awaited Him, He fell on the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me” (Matthew 26:39). Jesus asked the Father if there might be some other way. But in the next breath, He also prayed, “Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Moments later, when the soldiers came to arrest Him, Jesus did not resist and told Peter not to resist either: “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” Knowing He could not avoid the cross, Jesus was now ready to embrace it.
If you find yourself facing stress in life that you just can’t avoid, by all means pray that if it’s God’s will, He will remove it. But once you’ve prayed, be willing to take up your cross and follow Jesus down that hard path.
Lord Jesus, show me how to embrace those hard things in life that I can’t avoid. But I also remember how many weights, worries, dangers, fears, and impossible situations—beyond count!—You have already removed from my shoulders. You remove far, far more than You leave. And then You give me strength to persevere.
Joni Eareckson Tada Shares Her Heart on Chronic Pain
Welcome to this installment of Joni Eareckson Tada’s “Heart of the Founder” series where Joni shares a surprising truth: After more than 57 living with quadriplegia, paralysis is not the most difficult part of her life. No, what troubles Joni more than her visible disability is the chronic pain that often feels crushing.
