Michelle spent decades of her life investing in women. She’d bring them into her home, listen to their stories, wipe their tears, and remind them of God’s love and faithfulness. Her home was warm, and her heart was trustworthy. One day, she let me in on one of her secrets: “Honey,” she said, “I always leave my sink full of dirty dishes when the young moms come over.” She continued, “It puts them at ease and reminds them that I don’t have it all together and that I understand. When you’re a young mom, it’s easy to feel all alone, to feel like a failure, to feel like you can’t keep up with life. Hopefully, those dirty dishes remind these precious moms that I understand. I was there. I remember.”
Those are powerful words. I understand. I was there. I remember.
Sister, these transformative words have been spoken for you and to YOU by the Creator of the universe. The Scriptures teach us that we have a great high priest who understands us and sympathizes with us. He knows well what it is like to be human because He became like us. He understands. He has been there. He remembers.
The Father could have offered a different plan of salvation. I mean He is God, after all. He could have chosen a way to save us that did not involve the incarnation and death of his precious Son. But He didn’t. He chose to send Jesus, His only Son, to take on human flesh, to experience life in a fallen world, to be tempted by sin, to be betrayed by good friends, to be misunderstood by His family, to be abused, to be mistreated, and to be killed.
He chose to experience what it was like to be tired, hungry, lonely, and abandoned. He came. And because He came, He can sympathize with us in our weaknesses. From this place of understanding and compassion, Jesus invites us to come to Him, to come to His throne of grace, to ask for help, and to find, in Him, what our soul most longs for.
Michelle didn’t have to leave the dirty dishes in the sink. She had plenty of time to wash them and put them away. But she didn’t. She left them there as a reminder that she understood. She had been there. She knew what it felt like to be in that season of life.
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
How much more does your perfect and gentle Savior know where you are? He knows you. He understands what weighs on your heart today. He has been there. He remembers. And His response is—Come to Me. So today, go to Him. Pour out your heart to the One who knows you and loves you far more than you could ever imagine.
PRAYER
Jesus, thank You that You put on flesh and blood. Thank You that You know well what it feels like to be human. Help me to trust You today. Help me to run to You in my weakness. Thank You for loving me right where I am.
Adapted from Judie Puckett, Grace Enjoyed: Delighting in Our God in the Ordinary Moments of Life (Storied Publishing, 2023).