I just realized that I am the same age as Jesus was on His last year of ministry on Earth. 33. He died at this age. He resurrected at this age. He had done so much by this age, while I am not nearly satisfied with what I’ve done by this age.
Sure He was Christ, but He also said that those who believe in Him will do what He did and even greater things than what He did (John 14:12), so no, I’m not satisfied with what I’ve been up to so far. I wonder if He was.
I wonder if Jesus was satisfied with what He accomplished in 33 years on Earth. We know He started His official ministry at 30 years old, and little is known about what He had done before that time. But He must have done amazing things, don’t you think? How could He not with a divine nature?
Maybe, as a carpenter, He easily mastered tough materials that simply broke underneath the hands of other builders. “Joseph, your son is a carpentry prodigy!” the people must have said.
Maybe in times of drought or famine, the neighbors flocked to Mary’s kitchen because her family’s larders were never empty and their hands were always generous. Jesus with His Earthly family must have handed out bread and fish to all who asked.
Yet I wonder if Jesus left for heaven satisfied or if He wanted more time on Earth. With His divinity, He must have known His disciples and followers would do the work He commissioned. He knew every soul that would be saved on the Day of Pentecost. He knew Stephen and the sacrifice he’ll make at the hands of Saul. He knew Saul and how he’ll become Paul. He knew of all the churches that would be established. He knew of us. He knew of you, of me, and of the believers everywhere before we were all conceived. Therefore, Jesus knew the work would be done. Everything will turn out alright.
And. Yet. Did His human nature crave more time with His disciples? To teach them, comfort them, and anoint them. Did He want more time to heal the sick, raise the dead, and minister to everyone who needed Him? Did He long for a few more moments with His family and friends?
Don’t we, as children of God, know everything will turn out alright in the end? Yet we still want more time to…to love and be loved, to be with loved ones, to reach our goals, to chase our dreams, to fulfill our purpose, and to leave a legacy.
I’ve been feeling all the feelings of being the same age as Jesus when He died when yesterday, for the quickest moment in time, I felt a rush of relief at the realization that I have time. There’s a lot of time for me to do what I’m supposed to do, be who I was created to be, and move forward in life if I just keep going. It was so brief of a moment, but it gave me a blanket of peace, which makes me believe it was the Holy Spirit.
In truth, we don’t know what tomorrow holds, but we can still do so much with the time we have now. It doesn’t matter how old we are or what we’ve done that makes us feel like we’ve derailed the rest of our lives. We still have time to do what we’re called to do if we just keep going.
My mantra lately has been “one day at a time.” It’s keeping me from freaking out over things that feel too big and impossible. It helps be to keep going. To keep doing what God has called me to do. To keep growing into the person He created me to be. To keep breathing. To keep being brave in the small things and the big things, the everyday things and the new things.
Lean into the Holy Spirit. He guides our every step. He shows us which way to go. He reminds us to keep going because there’s still time to follow God’s plan. Lean into His blanket of peace as you keep going one day at a time.
“I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace while you trust in him. Then your hope will overflow by the power of the Holy Spirit,” Romans 15:13 (ICB).
