Throughout our lives we absorb stories about God, about ourselves, and about the world. Lent invites us to gently lay some of these stories down. In each post in this Lenten series, Pastor Nate will name one belief that may no longer be serving our faith and explore how Christ reshapes it.

Sometimes it shows up quietly.  This nagging sense that no one really understands.  It’s a gut-level feeling that we have to carry everything on our own.

Even in a room full of people, it can feel like we are the only ones holding what we’re holding.

Scripture speaks directly into that space. In Hebrews chapter 4, we hear that we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been through it all. Jesus does not stand at a distance from our human struggle, he enters it directly, not just in a general sense, but personally.

Which means that our God knows grief like ours.

Jesus knows abandonment (Matthew 26:69-75), and betrayal (Matthew 26:14-16), and grief (John 11:35), and doubt (Mark 15:34).

Which means there is no place we can go, or emotion we can feel, where Christ has not already been.

Lent invites us to gently question the story that we are on our own.

Because even in the moments when God feels distant, the promise remains: you are not alone.

Reflection question:
Where have you begun to believe you are alone, and how might God be present there in ways you have not yet noticed?