Jesus does hard things... so we're willing to do hard things

​Hello, Bridge family! I hope this message finds you and your loved ones well. This week, we had a fun challenge for the kids. Out of 10 challenges, they were to choose three they would be willing to do. I’ll admit, some of them were quite funny, but not the best choices. In fact, no one in their right mind would want to do any of them. I encourage you to ask your child which of the ten they chose. Also, they were asked: “What is something that you hope you never have to do?” The point of all this was to show that sometimes in life, there are things we don’t want to do, and this even happened in the life of Jesus, too.
 
That brings us to the Garden of Gethsemane, where we can truly see Jesus struggling with a difficult choice, just like you, me, and our children sometimes do. I believe that in the garden, the Father showed Jesus the full picture of what was to come. In that moment, in His humanity, He recoiled at the prospect and prayed for deliverance. Can you relate? I can, of course, not to the same scale, but with the idea that God, there has to be another way. However, there wasn’t, and even though Jesus could have said no, He didn’t. Think about it, no one forced Him to say yes. He did it because He knew it was what His Father wanted. He did the hard thing because God planned to save us. In Gethsemane, we see our Lord, living out His love for God and for His neighbor (Matthew 22:37-39), and it was tough.
 
But if we are willing to do hard things and desire our children to do the same, then I believe no greater act reveals our love for God than loving others. I don’t know if there is a more challenging task set before us as Christians. Be honest, loving others is difficult. So let me suggest this as a starting point. First, think about someone you are struggling to love as God commanded and share that with your children. You can leave out the details, but ask them to help you love that person by praying for them and asking the Holy Spirit to give you the ability to do this hard thing and love them as God desires. Over time, get to know the people your children are having a hard time loving, and pray together similarly.
 
Remember, as long as your child is at home, you have a great chance to share the Bible. Together, explore its stories, discussing how they apply to daily life, and fostering deeper family conversations. This makes faith an exciting and meaningful journey. God bless, and I look forward to seeing your family on Sunday.
 
Pastor Bob