And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. He said, ‘Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want.’This passage comes to us from Gethsemane just before Jesus is to be taken away to face the trial of his life. Of course, taken out of context it reads as though Jesus went farther in some kind of action which had him throwing himself on the ground. In actuality he had just told Peter, James, and John to stay where they were while he moved further up the hill.
What's also notable in the verses just before today's passage is that Jesus was agitated and distressed. This brings to mind all the times I have been that way as well. Some days I feel as though there is no possible way for me to do the things I need to. I become overwhelmed and in some cases agitated. I feel sorry for those around me because when I get agitated I'm a first class grouch.
It's in those times I feel the need to remove myself from everything, just as Jesus did in today's passage; by moving farther away. In my separating from those things which are making me feel stressed I soon begin to relax and accept that the things before me just need to be done. It is in that realization I am able to organize my thoughts and eventually move forward.
That moment is also when I reconnect with God. It would seem that in my over-thinking of all that I have to do I lose my focus on the reasons why I do those things in the first place; for the glory of God. It is where God has put me and the reasons I have been given my gifts from God. I forget to trust in that sometimes, and it's when I do that I notice my actions also separate me from those around me and eventually from myself.
Because my Lenten Journey is to keep and/or make connections with people and God and myself, this lack of trust is not a good thing. I need to trust God more in the knowledge that I'm doing precisely what is intended for me and that the outcome will be what God wants. After all, it's about God and not me - right?
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