Day 10 – Avoidance – Expressions from Summerside Community Church

Silence and Stillness before God (2 minutes)

Scripture Reading

As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, “The time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory, and God will be glorified because of him. And since God receives glory because of the Son, he will give his own glory to the Son, and he will do so at once. Dear children, I will be with you only a little longer. And as I told the Jewish leaders, you will search for me, but you can’t come where I am going. So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” Simon Peter asked, “Lord, where are you going?”And Jesus replied, “You can’t go with me now, but you will follow me later.”

Devotional

“Lord, where are you going?” Peter asked in verse 36.

Jesus was talking again about his coming suffering and that he would soon be leaving. His disciples were confused and scared. Some tried to face their fears. Others, like James & John, tried to avoid facing the inevitable by focusing on the time when Jesus would begin his kingdom reign. (Mark 10)

When my daughter died my sister-in-law told me I needed to walk through the pain, but I was terrified to do that. I thought if I let myself go there I would lose my mind and never be able to come back. I avoided feeling as much as I could until nearly a year had passed. Then I found myself waking in the night, sobbing. The pain was intense. I got through it, but it would have been easier if I had allowed myself to grieve in the first place.

Question to Consider

Is there something you are trying to avoid facing in your life?

Prayer

Jesus, we face many hardships in this life. You know, for you have walked on this road too. Some things are so hard, we do our best to avoid even thinking about them — things we have done; things that have been done to us; or things that have happened to the ones we love. Today we decide to fast from avoidance. Help us walk through the pain. You are with us and we will not fall apart. Amen.