Then, accompanied by
the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of
Olives. There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.”
He walked away, about
a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing,
please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be
done, not mine.” Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened
him. Luke
22:39-43
Each month, I have set goals that help me measure what I am trying
to achieve for the year. Things like
meeting with my manager and team members come to mind, and discussing both
their and my progress throughout the year is very helpful. Then I have family and personal goals that
are set to ensure things done. These
goals over the course of life have changed quite dramatically. Today, things like, “Love my wife better
today than I did yesterday,” and “complete repair of screen window,” are what
occupy my thoughts. When I was younger, my
goals were on more materialistic or things that I wanted to get for the wrong
reasons. You might know some of these phrases
behind them: “It gives me status.” “This
makes me look better, and it shows I have arrived.” Sometimes, those are not bad things, but the
motives often are. It’s not that we
should not want things, but we should always ask ourselves, “At what expense?” There is this expression called ‘Chasing the
Unicorn,’ which in essence means running after something that does not
exist. We often do this in life wanting
to gain something we do not have hoping it will fill a void that materially
cannot be filled.
As followers of Christ, we should always know that only He
can fill the voids that matter in our lives.
I chose these verses as an example of what we should aspire to in our
walk of faith. My original thought was
that verse 42 (take this cup of suffering away from me) was enough. However, the prior verses give it
context. Reading it a few times, it
feels that Jesus is giving a pep talk not only for His followers but maybe even
Himself. I know! Jesus needs no pep talk! However, we all have that inner voice that
chimes in to try to talk ourselves out of doing something because no one will
notice. Don't have that second piece of
cake. Do not spend the extra $50 a month
on the car. Keep God in that part of
your life. Feel free to insert that
indulgence that you fight to avoid a pattern of poor judgment and
behavior. I have been there, and
struggled in those moments. That is why
what Jesus says has such resonance in the context of these verses. It’s not about what I (Jesus) want. It’s about what you (Heavenly Father, Your
will to be done) want. Whenever we face
something albeit literal or spiritual, we must pray that our minds, hearts, and
spirit focus on God and not just our own wants in the process. That was what Jesus did at the Mount of Olives.
God wants what is best for us. There are times we will openly question
Him. We say, “Why not that, and why not
now?” However, over time we have learned
not just through His word but also personally that He has always delivered. For those of you newer in your journey, think
of when God first came into your life.
You knew He was real then. Trust
that He will be that same God to you today as when you first committed to Him,
and as time passes, your life will be as in Jeremiah 31:12; “They will come
home and sing songs of joy on the heights of Jerusalem. They will be radiant
because of the Lord’s good gifts— the abundant crops of grain, new wine,
and olive oil, and the healthy flocks and herds. Their life will be like
a watered garden, and all their sorrows will be gone.” Trust in God’s will and timing, and all
things will work out right. What
anxieties are you experiencing today?
Where are you challenged to trust God’s timing over your own? My prayer is that we know God will always
provide, and let us not give in to ‘Chasing the Unicorn.’ Amen.
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