BEEN THERE, DONE THAT By Sally I. Kennedy

"We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one (Jesus, the Son of God) who has been tempted in every way, just as we are." - Hebrews 4:15

This afternoon I was waving my arm back and forth underwater, hoping the weightlessness and buoyancy of the pool would help heal the tendonitis. In the past, my husband has suffered with arthritic problems in his shoulders and elbows. He would wince when turning a certain way, even in his sleep. I believed him, that it really hurt. I couldn’t understand it though.

I can no longer say that, thanks to the trimming of the banana tree. The dead leaves kept getting droopier, so one morning I got out the long-handled clippers. Intrepidly, I tackled my project. Somehow I forgot about banana leaves being made of incredibly strong, fibrous material not unlike nylon. I had a good grip, twisted my forearm, and pop! I could feel the burning sensation.

It is true, you can’t understand a person until you’ve walked in his shoes. Nor can you, I think, truly trust him unless he’s ‘been there, done that’. In the Bible, it says Jesus understands everything about us. Everything. If that is so, then he has experienced all that we have. As I pondered this, the thought crossed my mind, “ I don’t think so. He lived a long time ago and there’s no way he’s gone through what I have.”

Then different stories from the bible came to mind. I thought how Jesus was shunned and rejected by not only strangers, but also by people he knew well. He was misunderstood continually, and misrepresented. He felt sadness, sorrow, and he grieved. He hurt and he got angry. He loved his mom, family, parties, his buddies. He was, at times, tempted to do wrong, perhaps even confused and unsure. And often he talked things over with his Father.

If each time there’s a twinge of pain, my memory is jogged to recall that we have a Saviour who’s “been there, done that” and I can trust.

Sally I. Kennedy is the author of Irish Thursdays: More Little Parables, Words from the Heart, and 52 Little Parables from Ireland . She lives in south Florida, with her husband Ben. Please visit her website at this address: http://www.sallyikennedy.com