Do you ever wonder if Jesus cares? Do you wonder if he gets sad when something sad happens to you, or angry when something bad happens to you?
Chapter 11 in John describes the death of Lazarus, Mary and Martha's brother. After he had died both women were very upset and spent many hours crying outside of his tomb. When Jesus came to visit them Mary even fell at his feet and cried out (verse 32) "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."
Then verse 33 states: "When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled."
When Jesus saw Mary crying, he became upset! He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled, those words show that Jesus, beyond just being there for Mary, took Mary's sadness and brokenness as his own.
Then verse 35 states, "Jesus wept."
Jesus wept. Jesus cried because Mary's sadness became his own sadness.
So wouldn't you think that Jesus would also be sad when we are sad? Our burdens are his burdens. I was walking back to my dorm one night and I was thinking if it was possible for God to have a "bad day". I was wondering if anyone ever asked God how is was doing or how his day was. I know I never do. I wonder if it is because we think God can't have a bad day. But then the verse "Jesus wept" popped into my brain. And if we fully believe that Jesus is God like it says in Matthew 1:23, "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call Him name Immanuel.", and we realized that Immanuel is translated to "God with us", then we have to believe that our perfect God is not always happy. Our perfect God wept. Our perfect God feels our brokenness.
So why do we expect our lives to be only filled with happy days if our perfect God has days filled with tears?
There is a reason for the pain, the hurt, and the hard times. They make us stronger, our relationship with God stronger, they make us rely on God more, and trust God more.
So next time you are going through a tough time, know that God cares so much that he is taking on our burdens and feeling our pain. You are never alone. God has a plan for your life, and he has a purpose for your life.
"For the
sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships,
persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." - 2 Corinthians 12:10
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." -Proverbs 3:5-6
