Read: Hebrews 2:10-18
Because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. (v. 18)
I started skiing when I was three years old. Skiing is in my family’s DNA. So naturally, when I first met my husband, I tried to teach him to ski! He would need to know if this relationship was going to work. The problem was that I had no idea what it felt like to not know how to ski. I couldn’t identify with his experience and therefore didn’t know how to help him. And I probably wasn’t as patient as I could have been.
Learning to follow Jesus is something that takes our whole lives. Fortunately, we do not have a God who sits far away, judging without understanding. God came and lived among us in the person of Jesus Christ, sharing in everything that we experience. Our God walked the same journey we walk and experienced the same temptations that we face. He did this not only to show us, in the person of Jesus Christ, how it can be done perfectly. He came to earth to understand what it’s like for us. In Jesus we know that the God who calls us to live holy and blameless lives understands our challenges and walks beside us through it all.
Living and loving like Jesus takes practice. Sometimes I imagine that God is disappointed with how slow my own progress is. But Hebrews 2 reminds me that God understands.
As you pray, express your thanks to Jesus for understanding your struggles and walking with you.
About the Author
Jennifer Petersen is an ordained minister in the Reformed Church in America.
