They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," he said to them. "Stay here and keep watch."
Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. "Abba,[e] Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." Mark 14:32-36
What do you do when you're falling apart? Unraveling at the seams? Don't we all have moments like this? Yes, we do. But some of us hide it better than others. When Jesus was falling apart, he took his disciples into the garden of Gethsemane to pray. He wanted and knew he needed the companionship of others as he began to taste the hell that he would go through. True enough, Peter, James, and John fell asleep. No, they couldn't do anything about what he was going through. They probably could've tried harder to stay awake. Yet even their sleeping presence provided some comfort.
Jesus fell apart. He didn't curse God, but his soul was "overwhelmed to the point of death." If we are feeling so overwhelmed, like we are traversing hell alone, we need to let others know. We are not meant to be alone in this. And if we know of someone that is going through a difficult time, it is imperative that we reach out to them. Even Jesus, God of very God, needed companions in his darkest time. These are the same disciples who were with him on the Mount of Transfiguration. They tasted a bit of his glory and of the hell he went through. Jesus had good friends.
If we don't have any let us pray for them and seek them out. Once I said to a lady I admired, "I really like you and respect you. Let's be friends." She agreed and is one of my best friends. It was a bold move, and vulnerable, but it was worth it. Sometimes we have to take steps like that. But if we have no one, let us try to find someone in the Church to talk to.
God's peace to you this day.
1 comment:
Marlena, thank you so much for writing this! Honestly, this is exactly what I needed to read at this point in the summer, and it has been a huge encouragement and comfort. Also, it reminded me of the chorus to Lifehouse's song "Broken"....
"I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing/With a broken heart that's still beating/In the pain, there is healing/In your name I find meaning/So I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on/I'm barely holdin' on to you"
Thanks again for writing this!
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