WHAT’S YOUR ‘CUP’?

When I read about Jesus in the Bible, I have always found specific stories to be entirely relatable for human beings. The first is when the devil tempted him; the temptation that covered what 1 John 2:16 says, “Lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life” This world we live in is full of things being dangled to our faces.

Recently as I was reading a book, Good and Beautiful God by James Bryan Smith, I was reminded of a story that I often find to be very heartbreaking because I can picture Jesus in pain, He struggles, and He even asks God to take away His cup…..and at the same time, He yields to God’s will: Yet not my will but yours. Other versions say, “Yet not what I want but what you want” Jesus being both man and God felt it all as a man; with incarnation comes limitation , and Jesus felt weary like we so often do. Even the sweat looked like blood. “Father, take away this cup from me” He pleaded.

THE CUP

The Cup: This is symbolic of the things we wish God would deal with in our lives; the things we want to be exempted from; the things we struggle to trust God with.

After I went back to reread that story, I found myself asking the question: What’s my cup? and in turn, I ask “What’s your cup?

Neither of us is facing threats of crucifixion like Jesus was but we are under attack; physically through illnesses, emotionally through loneliness, financially through need and struggle, and even relational loss due to the death of loved ones. We are all going through something that seems to be staying on for far too long. Or perhaps we can’t even see our way through it.

The Bible acknowledges that suffering exists in the world. “In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33. This Bible verse reminds us that we will face challenges in this life, but we can find hope in knowing that Jesus has already overcome the world. By placing our trust in Him, we can find peace and joy even in the midst of difficult seasons. It is through our relationship with Him that we can find the strength to persevere and the hope that sustains us.

Maybe like Jesus, you are still praying, Father let this cup pass from me, or maybe you got exhausted and you have normalized the cup and you see no way through, or perhaps you grudgingly accepted it because it is out of your control and you are filled with bitterness.

• Can the cup be used for God’s glory?
• Can we live with the cup and still love God?
• Can we look forward with anticipation that the cup will pass when the time is right?

Regardless of where you find your heart posture, we can all benefit from one thing; drawing closer to God. We can look to God and remind ourselves that no matter what He remains Good, Faithful, and Trustworthy. I pray for strength and resolve to accept the cup that God allows into your life and I pray that you will wait patiently and that God will always be glorified in your life no matter the outcome. May you experience the joy of the Holy Spirit that is able to sustain and carry you through the hard seasons.

You are light and you are so loved. Stay Anchored and Keep His light shining through!