How heartbreaking it must have been for Jesus to have spent so much time with these people—pouring His heart into them, putting their needs before His own—and then be abandoned. We’ve probably all encountered those who stick around when we’re the givers, but when we need something in return, they bail. That treatment hurts or aggravates us, but what these people did to Jesus was worse than that. When they walked away, they were saying Jesus wasn’t worth their commitment. Their rejection secured their own eternal fate. Jesus wasn’t losing friends, He was seeing souls choose darkness over the Light.

There are those who’ve proclaimed Christianity but suddenly turn away. Maybe a hardship occurred and they blame God for not keeping it from them. Maybe they’ve prayed for something and the answer they want hasn’t come so they decide God really isn’t there. When this happens, they’re looking at circumstances instead of the Son. They’re forgetting that this physical life is temporary but God is eternal. They’re convincing themselves that they—the created—know better than the Creator. Something I’ve learned after walking with the Lord for nearly six decades: He wastes nothing. Trials in my past have strengthened me and prepared me for today’s challenges. They’ve taught me compassion, given me wisdom, and deepened my dependence on Him. As hard as life is sometimes, I am grateful that I do not walk life’s pathway alone. Do I always understand? No. Do I trust? Yes. And that gives me peace this world cannot take away from me.