January 28

IF GOD WERE ONE OF US

 

Father, thank You for bringing me to this place and this time today. I ask You to speak to me right now, and to let Your Word breathe life into my heart. Please use these next few moments to bring me to more of a fullness of You and to learn more of Your Glory and how to leave the footprints of Jesus everywhere I go today. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen!

Read John 1:10-18

Do you remember the Joan Osborne song If God Was One Of Us from several years ago? Verse 14 of this passage makes me think of this song. I particularly love the way it starts:

“The word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.”

The simple answer for Ms. Osborne’s song is that yes, God was, and is, one of us.

Life is hard. It is hard for everyone. We each face different crises and troubles. Something that can make these times easier to face is the presence of friends, and others that understand what we are going through. In my introduction to counseling class during college, the professor talked about showing empathy, rather than sympathy, to those we counseled. Showing sympathy lets someone know you feel for him or her. Being empathetic lets someone know you understand how he or she feel, and why they feel that way. We all want to know that others understand what we are going through. Well meaning friends sometimes cannot give much comfort if they do not truly understand the situation. Those that have been through the same thing, or similar things usually give the best advice and support.

That is why I love the aforementioned verse. Jesus does know! Jesus does understand. We have a God that knows exactly what we are going through. He walked along this earth and faced same and similar struggles. We have a partner in Christ that we can lean on in times of despair.

Today I encourage you to realize that you are not alone in this world. No matter how dark things get, God is there. He understands. He cares. Lean on Him today and let Him sustain you as you continue to walk.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!