I hiked Mt Evans in Colorado with a friend in 2005. It was just the two of us on the mountain. We had not prepared enough and after a full day of hiking, we were out of breath, dehydrated, delirious, and weak. We thought we would not find the car. As we were sitting bewildered, tired, and absolutely hopeless, we began to think, “it’s all over”.
In Luke 24, we read the account of two disciples walking home the Sunday after Jesus’ death. They had just been thrown a curve ball. After Jesus’ death, his disciples felt the same way I did at at the foot of that mountain. The whole city of Jerusalem had welcomed Jesus in to the city a week earlier but now, the powers that be, had Jesus crucified. A lot can change between Thursday and Sunday. What had seemed promising had become painful. What had seemed hopeful had become hopeless.
Jesus knows disappoint is caused by unmet expectations. But disappointment is healed by widening your outlook. Jesus joins these two disciples on the road home (although they didn’t recognize him) and begins to tell them the story of God through scripture. Each story reveals and reminds us that God is in control. Jesus wants to remind us no matter what’s happening, God is still on his throne. Despair never has the last word. God is begging you to remember there’s another chapter to be written in your story.
These two disciples eventually arrive at their house and invite Jesus inside for a meal. Jesus accepts. It reminds each of us that when we invite Jesus in, He will always say “yes”. And then upon breaking bread with them, Jesus reveals himself. Their hearts raced wildly and their excitement forced them to go back to Jerusalem to tell the other disciples, “Jesus is risen.”
So today, walk with your head up. When you walk with your head down, you lose sight of what God is doing around you. Jesus wants to be invited into your story as well. It’s in him that our hearts race wildly and cause us to live boldly for him. Blessings on your journey.