What will tomorrow hold for us? There are so many things that can make us anxious about what tomorrow holds for us – especially in our teen years.

Jesus and his Disciples were on their way to Jerusalem for the Passover. They knew that many people loved Jesus. The people following them were more aware of the dangers that lie ahead than the Disciples. Jesus stopped along the way to speak to the Twelve Disciples alone. Read his warning to them below:

32 They were now on the way up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. The disciples were filled with awe, and the people following behind were overwhelmed with fear. Taking the twelve disciples aside, Jesus once more began to describe everything that was about to happen to him. 33 “Listen,” he said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man[a] will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die and hand him over to the Romans.[b]34 They will mock him, spit on him, flog him with a whip, and kill him, but after three days he will rise again.”    (Mark 10:32-34 NLT)

The Disciples still didn’t truly understand, even though Jesus had said this to them several times. They still had their own ideas about what the Son of God could do on this earth, how he could conquer and defeat enemies. How everyone would be compelled to love him – and they would be his teammates!

We don’t always get our way. Usually that is because God has a better plan for us. Jesus wasn’t eager to suffer and die, but he was willing. He was able to see the greater picture and stayed in the path laid out for him.

Let us learn to face tomorrow with hope knowing that God is seeking to help us find the path for wholeness with him – the path of our greatest joy, contentment, and peace – even if it includes hardships.

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