Optimist’s Roundtable

By Martha Sykes

As we travel through this journey of the Lenten season, we can reflect on Jesus and His journey to Calvary. Jesus knew what was ahead of Him, but we can still think that maybe He didn’t want the pain of that cross, maybe He didn’t want to die, but He was faithful to God and what He had planned for Him as His Son. Imagine how Jesus felt when His friends betrayed Him.

He knew that by caring for others, by putting the love of God and neighbor ahead of His own desires, then God would be glorified and that many who were lost would be found. He would be raised up, not only on a cross of suffering, but on a cross of glory as well.

It’s sad that there are so many around us with lost souls and maybe they don’t realize they need Jesus. There are those who are craving hope, acceptance, love, and some think that they will achieve this through power and influence or by doing what others do, no matter whether it’s bad or good.

In the scripture, it tells us that what profits it a man to gain the whole world, but lose his soul.

It makes us think about our own lives and how Jesus has taught us that we need to think about others. Just as He did, we need to accept everyone for their strengths and their weaknesses. We need to thank those who have encouraged us and give back to them a part of ourselves or turn around and give that same encouragement to someone else.

What we really need in this life isn’t something we can take off a shelf in a store, but can only be received as a gift from God. A gift that comes to all who follow Jesus and believe that He died for us.