John 11

Reflection on John 11

“When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house.”
‭‭John‬ ‭11:20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Then she returned to Mary. She called Mary aside from the mourners and told her, “The Teacher is here and wants to see you.” So Mary immediately went to him.”
‭‭John‬ ‭11:28-29‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
‭‭John‬ ‭11:32‬ ‭NLT‬‬

1) It’s okay not to be okay.
Mary was grieving and her first response to Jesus was to ignore Him when he came to visit them. When she finally went to Jesus, she let out her emotions to Him. Yet, Jesus still show compassion upon her.

2) Go to Jesus even when you’re grieving
Mary immediately went to Jesus after hearing that He was looking for her. She could have still choose to stay at the grave and not move. Sometimes when we focus too much on the pain, we fail to see the miracles of what God can do. It’s either we choose to go to Jesus first or continue to stay at the place of pain.

Application:
It is okay to tell God everything that you feel. Even before you utter any words, He already know how you are feeling. It is your relationship with God that matters. Always choose to go to Jesus first rather than staying put at the place of pain and missed His miracles.

Follow-up Questions and Actions for and before God:
Jesus, thank You for Your loving kindness. Even when we have no rights to be angry/upset, You still choose to look at us with such love and compassion. May we not lose sight of You and always choose to run to You first no matter what we are feeling. Amen