Rise, let us go!
—Matthew 26:46
Crushed with anguish over his approaching crucifixion, Jesus stumbled deeper into Gethsemane to pray.
“Stay here and keep watch with me,” he implored his three best friends.
And three disappointing times, he came back to find them sleeping instead of watching.
Feelings of sorrow and shame must have been devastating when those friends later thought about that night. They had failed him, who had never failed them.
We know the feeling, don’t we? Gut-wrenching grief over having been unfaithful to him, who has never been unfaithful to us.
But listen to his merciful, understanding voice as he says to you what he said to them. “Rise, let us go!” In other words, let’s move on. You made a mistake. You can’t change that. It’s okay. Put it behind you. You’ll do better next time.
You can’t change the past,
but you can change the future.