Alone In The Garden.

When Judas betrayed Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, all of Jesus' disciples ditched Him.

Did you realize that?

I didn't.
Not until tonight, anyway.

He was alone.
By Himself.
Had no one.

I rely so heavily on my friends - especially Hannah, Jade, Kristina, and Shaun. If I had to go through something as...horrific...as Jesus did, I don't know how I would do it without them.

When Jesus was being beaten, He couldn't look into the crowd around Him for a familiar face, one that He was friends with.

When He was carrying His cross, no one was lined on the streets to encourage Him.

His mother, and several other ladies, were at the cross when He was crucified...but His best friends weren't there.

He had been denied.
Forsaken.
Forgotten.

And still...He pressed on.

That amazes me.

Jesus had so much CRAP piled on Him that He could have totally been like, "You know what, Dad? I give up. This is stupid. Send them all to hell for all I care." But He wasn't like that at all. His love for us, His compassion, overruled all other elements. It overruled His scarred and bleeding back, His aching arms and legs, His heart being torn to shreds by those He cared about.

And what do we do with it?

Well, tonight I read the story out of my Bible and didn't think twice about it. I have grown so accustomed to the story, so hardened to it, almost, that I don't realize the impact it has on my life. I read it, and... that's all. I don't think about the implications, the importance, of it all.

This is what I'm teaching about in VBS tomorrow - Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, and how through that, we can have eternal life.

But for it to be real to the kids, it has to be real to me.
I have to realize that this is a TRUE story.
That Jesus suffered.
That He died.
And that He rose again in victory.