Jesus Gives Us Grace Because He Gets Us

just as we are – yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:14-16:

When we're struggling, we don't need someone who can't relate to our pain. We need someone who has walked in our shoes – literally walked the dusty roads we walk, felt the hunger we feel, experienced the rejection we experience, and faced the temptations that knock us down. Jesus didn't just walk in our shoes for a few steps – He walked the entire journey from birth to death. He wore our shoes through childhood obedience, teenage years, the pressure of choosing a career, the weight of family expectations, the sting of friends who didn't understand Him, and ultimately through the painful walk to the cross. Every struggle we face, He faced first.

Jesus isn't a distant, untouchable deity who looks down on our struggles with confusion. He lived as one of us. He faced every temptation we face, yet without sin.

When you're battling loneliness, Jesus understands loneliness. When you're facing financial pressure, Jesus knows what it's like to have no place to lay His head. When relationships hurt you, Jesus felt the sting of betrayal from His closest friends. He even knows what it's like when your friends fall asleep when you need them most.

Because He understands, we can "approach God's throne of grace with confidence." Not with fear, not with shame, but with confidence that we'll receive mercy and grace in our time of need.

Jesus is the perfect High Priest we desperately need.

This is the kind of understanding your children need from you. When they struggle or fail, they need to know you've been there too, that you understand their challenges and will help them through with empathy, not just correction. Remember, you were once a teenager who thought you knew everything too and somehow your parents managed not to sell you to the circus!

Because Jesus understands our weaknesses so perfectly, He also knows exactly how to respond to them – with grace and mercy.

Blessings,

Jonathan