Moving Forward - 14 February 2025

FRIDAY, February 14, CYRIL AND METHODIUS, Missionaries, 869, 885

Mark 10:37 And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”

For James and John, maybe the embarrassing, self-centered question that they cannot stop themselves from asking is a desperate bid to find some measure of security in a terrifying and unstable situation.

It’s a very normal survival mechanism to seek out consistency and security when our emotional and physical well-being is at risk. We want reassurance that whatever happens, nothing will really change for the worst; our dreams can still be realized, and in the end, everything will still be okay. What I love in this story is that Jesus, even through his own pain, weariness, and fear, takes the time and effort to see his friends. He looks beyond their rude insensitivity and into their fear and confusion and reassures them that in the coming times of trauma and tragedy, they will rise to the challenge, and their actions will be heroic. They will be who God created them to be. And that last bit is a remarkable promise in the face of their deep failure in this moment—and my every failure at many moments in this life.

MOVING FORWARD: What is Jesus saying to you in moments of failure?

PRAY for the Diocese of Luwero (Uganda)

Ps 88 * 91, 92 | Isaiah 61:1-9 | 2 Timothy 3:1-17 | Mark 10:32-45

(Source: Forward Day by Day Movement)