DECEMBER 11, 2012
Emotional
Betrayals
Read: Matthew 26:36-46
[Jesus] found them
sleeping, and said . . . , “Could you not watch with
Me one hour?” —Matthew 26:40
Some
years back, another man and I were reading together Matthew
26 about Jesus in
the Garden of Gethsemane. “I know this much,” he
told me as we read along, “if
I’d been with Jesus in Gethsemane, I’d
have had His back. No way would I have
fallen asleep!” Indignant, he
continued, “How could anyone fall asleep after
hearing Jesus tell them
how troubled He was? He was practically begging!”
(v.38).
Knowing
that our families struggled with our long work hours, I wondered
out loud to my
friend: “How many times have our children looked for us
in the crowd at their
school activities, hoping to see us? Do our kids face
troubles alone because we
are away or busy? Our families and friends have
an intense need for personal
attention from us. Even Jesus asked His
disciples to watch and pray with Him”
(see vv.40-45).
It
is not a simple thing to balance life’s demands against the needs of
those we
love and serve, but failing to do so is emotional betrayal. As
we think about
the disciples disappointing Jesus in the Garden, we might
want to consider the
ways we can today show our care for our loved ones
and their interests. Help
us, Lord, to love others well.
Open my eyes, Lord, to people around me,
Help me to see them as You do above;
Give me the wisdom and strength to take action,
So others may see the depth of Your love. —K. DeHaan
One measure of our love for Christ
is our sensitivity to the needs of others.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
