As the date of my wife’s recent operation drew near I witnessed a strange phenomenon: she got busier around the house. Previously, she was okay with how I cleaned up the kitchen after preparing meals & how I did the floors. But as surgery neared, I found her sanitizing the counters & pushing her Swiffer along the baseboards. It wasn’t that she was feeling better, she was getting her house in order so she could rest easier over the coming recovery period. Also, she was burning a lot of nervous energy knowing how hard recovery was going to be.
On Palm Sunday Jesus was being welcomed by a very large crowd of worshipers. It wasn’t that His Kingdom was about to take over, looks can be deceiving. They cheered, He wept. They rejoiced, Jesus braced Himself. And yet, He was soon to strike a fatal blow to death & the kingdom of darkness. Jesus submitted Himself to the tortures ahead knowing that triumph & resurrection were soon to follow.
We are often caused to face hard trials but the pain is never the end of the story. Courage is a big part of faith. It’s not that we never suffer but that we believe that when we submit ourselves to suffering for the sake of Jesus’ Kingdom victory & rewards soon follow. Trials don’t get smaller just because we believe but our resolve to finish well is strengthened.