When the Journey Gets Tough: Encouragement from Jesus’ Example

As the end of the year approached, the doctors in the casualty department at Kalafong Hospital reflected on two troubling trends often seen during the holiday period: an increase in fatalities and a rise in student suicides linked to matric exam results. Having been a student for 30 years of my life, I deeply understand the anxiety of preparing for, writing, and waiting for exam results. Rather than turning to fictional depictions of this dread, I’ve chosen to draw hope and guidance from a story in the most life-giving and best book of all—the Bible.

In Matthew’s account of the Gospel of Jesus Christ—now you know the best book and the best name—chapter 26, verses 36 to 46, capture Jesus’ final steps in His journey towards crucifixion. The first encouragement is that Jesus took His disciples with Him. This life journey can be tough, and it is much easier to navigate when we have a crew with us. That crew can be our family, our friends, our classmates, or even brothers and sisters from church.

The second encouragement is that Jesus asked His closest disciples (Peter, John, and James) to stay and keep watch with Him. Many superficial friendships exist solely to celebrate the good times when everything is going well. Jesus showed that true friends are the ones we can call on during difficult times, to stay with us and endure those trials. How many of those people do you have in your life?

The final encouragement from Jesus’ challenge with death was His prayer to His Father and our Father, God. He went away and prayed three times. He didn’t ask God if He was available, ready, willing, busy, or in a good mood to listen. He prayed – three times – He knew His Father was listening.

My prayer for students revising for exams or preparing for any other challenging journey, like going home, losing a job, or losing a loved one, is to follow Jesus’ example when things were tough for Him. Find your crew, ask them to stay and keep watch with you, and pray. Do this for yourself as an individual, and let us, as a church, do the same for our young people, our families, our Corps, our nation, and our church.

We don’t need to accept the debauchery, death, or family strife often associated with the Christmas season. Instead, we can pray for zero deaths and zero suicides. It may seem impossible for us, but we serve a God who achieves the impossible every hour.

If you or someone you know is struggling, the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) offers support. Their suicide crisis number is 0800 567 567, and they can be reached via WhatsApp at 087 163 2030 or 076 882 2775.