August 25 (Philippians 2:7)
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. (NLT)
“You should be in my shoes.” We’ve all heard it and we’ve all said it. We say it when we want someone to understand just what we’re going through, but when we hear it…. Let’s be honest. We don’t always want to be in someone else’s shoes. I know I don’t. When I am tired at the end of a long day, the last thing I want is to hear about someone else’s struggles, much less stand in that person’s shoes and actually experience them. In fact, I want someone to stand in my shoes, thank you very much!
It is not natural to stand in someone else’s shoes. It involves a depth of love that humans do not naturally possess. Oh, we can be genuinely kind, but when it comes to experiencing the struggles of someone else, our natural response is to defend and protect ourselves. We do not want more difficulties to add to our own and bring us down. On top that, taking on the burdens of another requires tremendous strength and energy, something that most of us lack in sufficient quantity in this hurly burly world.
Now consider Jesus. He loved us so much that He was willing to set aside His divine life with the Father and Holy Spirit in order to become one of us. He not only stood in our shoes, He actually took on human flesh and lived out the physical reality of what it means to be a human being. And this incredibly loving God, Who is love and possesses more love than we could ever emotionally muster, was strong enough to do it. Remember, He is the one Who created the stars and the atoms. The one Who holds the universe together was more than strong enough to take on our flesh and our problems. Knowing this, what do you want to say to Him today?
Jesus, I need to know that You know what I’m going through. I need to be confident that You not only understand my situation, but that You will help me through it. You have shown me that You are more than capable of handling my burdens and that You love me enough to be willing to do so. Today I give You all of my struggles and worries and fears. I know that You can handle them. Amen.
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