When thy friends despise, forsake thee…

Some of the most painful things we face are not physical hurts.  We’ve heard it said, “I would rather you had punched me in the mouth,” or, “it felt like a kick in the stomach.”

Jesus felt it – All His devoted followers and FRIENDS forsook and denied even knowing Him in the very hour He needed their support.  Those He fed and healed of their blindness and leprosy and shared His secrets with.

I challenged and warned my Sunday School girls that this weeks’ lesson would present itself an opportunity for us to follow Jesus’ example of compassion and look beyond our own hurts and offended selves ( which is rooted in pride and arrogance, traits in us God says He hates ) when He prayed as He hung, hurting and bleeding on our behalf from His cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

We must also, to be faithfully following our Wonderful Saviour in a worthy manner, realize that people “know not what they do” and that Jesus’ desire for us is to forgive.

LORD help us.