As we welcome this week leading up to Easter, even though it’s not a typical time and we may not be gathering in the traditional way, it’s good to set our minds on the glorious resurrection and redemption we will celebrate. However, it’s also important to remember the cross that led to it. None of us likes to endure suffering and adversity, and it’s clear that even Jesus Himself would have rather avoided the cross. When He was tempted in the wilderness, there’s a reason the devil appealed to Him to bow down and worship him in order to gain authority on the earth. It would have been much easier to access influence and power by appeasing Satan than by enduring the long hard road to the cross. Yet He resisted. Again, right before His crucifixion, in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Savior pleaded with His Father that the cup of suffering be taken from Him. Yet He surrendered. Being fully human, it’s clear that Jesus did not want to endure the agony of the cross, but He did it for us. Not only does our salvation depend on it, but so does our example of endurance in the midst of hardship.

My friend, you may have a cross to bear in this time of uncertainty, but Jesus will get you through it. No redemption comes without suffering and no new life is possible without loss. Though there are clouds looming ahead, beyond them is the glorious light of resurrection. Don’t shy away from the difficulty of your current situation by “numbing out” or pointing fingers; instead, fully embrace the season you’re in and trust His unfailing promise of redemption. He died so that everything could be made new, and He’s using the present darkness to birth the light of hope in many human hearts.