As Easter approaches, I want to walk you through key parts of the Easter story to remind you that Christ is the true source of hope. Let’s begin with the moment before Jesus was arrested. He knew that enduring what was coming would be extremely difficult so He began to feel deeply distressed and troubled (Mark 14: 33).
When Hopelessness Persists
Can you relate? Are you feeling troubled by what lies ahead in your ministry? Perhaps you feel alone and ill-equipped to respond to the demands of your calling. In such cases, where do you turn for help? Where do you go when friends fail even if they try hard to help you? My suggestion is to do the same thing Jesus did and go directly to God. Yes, you may feel alone but sometimes, moments of solitude are exactly what we need to know God better.
When Jesus was alone in the Garden of Gethsemane, he could not count on his disciples so He turned to God. As leaders, we don’t always find good advisers and we don’t always have the right words to pray. Still, you can be confident that when you go to him, you are crying out to the one who will enable you to endure hardships – because ultimately, He is our strength (Psalm 46:1).
How I learned to find true hope
I recently got sick but didn’t want to go see a doctor. I told myself that it was just a sore throat. So I took medication and felt better a few days later. But after a while, I saw that my attempts to save myself had failed. My throat hurt again and I finally decided to see a doctor and get tested for Covid. The test was negative – thank God. But I had to buy new medications and find a different approach to healing. If I had seen a doctor earlier instead of trying to solve this problem on my own, maybe I would have recovered faster. I may never know for sure but what I do know is that Christ used this situation to teach me to go to the right source for help and direction.
Rediscovering Christ this Easter
Whatever your next step is, my prayer for you is that you turn to the true source of hope. And if you want to help your students encounter this Hope, Easter is a great time to do so! You can encourage them to try the Easter Adventure with their family so they too can rediscover just how important the Easter story is, and how it gives us true hope today.
When you feel overwhelmed, remember what Easter is all about: the fact that not even death could stop Jesus and that he has overcome! You can go to him in prayer as you faithfully live out the mission he has given you. This mission matters, and, more importantly, your life matters. So whatever troubles you face in this life, remember to take them first to Christ – your true source of hope!
