Monday, December 30th

By: Matthew Hyatt
Hebrews 2:10-18
Reflection—v. 14 ‘he himself likewise shared the same things’

When I read this passage, the words empathy and understanding popped into my head. Often, when we are upset or hurt, others will do their best to comfort us. It doesn’t always work, but a frequent method of comforting is letting the person who is hurt know that they are not alone. We tell them that ‘I’m here,’ and ‘You are not alone.’ We also tell them that ‘we understand.’ Sometimes that isn’t entirely true, because we can’t fully understand what the person is going through unless we are that person. We can’t, but God can. Paul explains that God sent Jesus to walk with us, to suffer as we suffer, to go the extra mile and even die for us. God walks with us every moment of every day of our lives. God knows our struggles, our sorrows, our pain, our confusion. God knows because, not only is God there with us, but God stays with us. God was Jesus dying on the cross to show us that he will go the distance with us. God desires to go the distance because God empathizes with us. God understands what we are enduring more than any other person can. The writer also offers us some encouragement in that Jesus did not come to ‘help angels’ but rather the ‘descendants of Abraham,’ us. God knows we are not perfect so God sent God’s Son to spread the word about the forgiveness he freely and abundantly offers for our sins. This passage is a testament to God’s unending love and compassion for us, God’s children.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for walking with me; help me to empathize and walk with others.

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