The Time of Trial

Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Matthew 26:41

Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane with three of his disciples. It is his last night on earth, and he came to the Garden to pray. A few hours earlier, Jesus and his disciples were sharing his Last Supper. At this meal, Jesus washed his disciples’ feet and instituted the sacrament of Communion. In the Garden, Jesus is agitated, knowing what will soon occur. The disciples are tired – perhaps from the late hour, a big dinner, worry about what is about to unfold, or some combination of reasons. He asks them to stay awake while he prays, but they fall asleep.

Times of trial come to all of us – sometimes several times in a day! There are at least two ways to handle life’s challenges. First, we can avoid them as diligently and for as long as possible. Second, we can face them head–on, resigning ourselves to the fact that we are not going to avoid them. The first method makes us a victim, often reacting to our difficulties kicking, screaming, and fruitlessly begging for things to return to the way they were. The second method allows us to become a co-creator, or co-controller of the challenge. We face what we need to address with our eyes wide open and our senses fully engaged. This does not have to be a masochistic act. Rather, it is accepting what is to come and knowing, with God’s help, we will make it through. It is seeking help when necessary. Regardless of the trial – surgery, interpersonal strife, financial hardship, depression, serious illness, or job dissatisfaction – people chose to either run from the problem or to journey through it. Too often, the most destructive effect of a looming trial comes from our worry about it. Research consistently shows that most of our worries do not happen, and what happens is seldom as bad as we imagine. When we do not know what is coming, we imagine the worst. We make ourselves physically and emotionally sick from worry long before our specific challenge manifests itself, if it ever does.

I believe Jesus’ message to the disciples to “Stay awake!” was a reminder to remain present and faithful in each moment. Jesus knew he was about to suffer a horribly painful death. Jesus also knew that, with God’s help, he would make it through to the other side. We are assured of the same. Jesus wanted his disciples to be fully present to the events of that moment in time, for they would be establishing his church for the generations to come. It is in the moments of our lives that we find the power and strength to handle our times of trial, not in the pre-trial anxiety. We must learn to stay awake to those moments.

Come home to church this Sunday. Bolster your spirit, for the flesh is weak.