Listen

After she said this, she went and spoke privately to her sister Mary, “The teacher is here and he’s calling for you.” When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to Jesus.

When Mary arrived where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.”

When Jesus saw her crying and the Jews who had come with her crying also, he was deeply disturbed and troubled. He asked, “Where have you laid him?”

They replied, “Lord, come and see.”

John 11:28-29, 32-34

Think

Sometimes we all have big feelings. Our emotions express themselves in very different ways. Sometimes our eyes twitch, our lips quiver, or our hands shake. Existing in our bodies means that we experience grief, anger, and sadness in real and visceral ways.

I don’t remember the last big cry I experienced. But I know it was uncomfortable. And it is completely normal to cry. It is good to cry sometimes. It offers a real and authentic expression of how we feel. Especially when words aren’t enough.

Every single one of us is bound to experience the death of a loved one someday. Either our parents or guardians, a beloved pet, a dear friend… it is going to happen.

In this story, Jesus shows up where Mary, Martha, and their neighbors are, full of their emotions. The space is heavy with sorrow and loss.

And Jesus is there.

With how awful the world can be, know that Jesus is there, meeting us however we are: sad, angry, or afraid. No emotion is off-limits.

Dan Miglets-Nelson

Pray

Dear Jesus, meet me where I am today.

Help me better know you through knowing myself.

When I am sad, relieve me of it. When I am angry, take my anger away.

Help me to live as your follower, and offer your love in the most difficult places in the world.

Amen.

Go

Live today as a follower of Jesus, trusting in the promises of God.