Jesus knew his disciples were in for a world full of troubles. Jesus himself endured so much while here on earth. He knows. This is a word for me too. It’s a word for you.
We are to take heart. We are to press on. There will be tribulations of many kinds. What are tribulations? Troubles, stressors, threats, evil, great sufferings, dangers, hazards, and the list goes on and on! While we’re here these things should not surprise us. They will come. So how do we “take heart?” What’s that mean??
To take heart means to be brave. It means we take control of our minds and do not let fear overcome us. Sometimes it might mean we just put one foot in front of the other? Other times it might mean we make sacrifices; we do not let these tribulations overcome us. We become unseen heroes when we do this. Jesus was preparing his friends for his death. Jesus knew resurrection would come. We have this great gift Jesus has given us to look forward to as well! If I am a follower of Jesus I too will be with Jesus when I die. I’ll know this perfect peace. Until then I press on one day at a time trying to take heart, trying to be courageous, brave and endure. I’m closer now than I ever have been before to the prize!
Peace. “In me you may have peace,” Jesus says. This kind of peace can be inexplicable. It can make no sense that in the midst of great suffering we believers sometimes experience a holy peace. This peace is a gift from God, not something we create on our own. This is part of the beauty of being a believer. So many unexpected and gracious gifts God gives to us, sometimes when we least expect it! We do our part to follow, to walk in Gods ways and God does the rest!
Jeni Martin Johnson 
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