Watch with Me - 13 April 2022

 


As Jesus Christ began His sacrifice in the garden of Gethsemane, in which he would suffer “pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind” (Alma 7:11), He “began to be sorrowful and very heavy.” In that moment, He extended an intriguing invitation to His followers: “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and WATCH with me” (Matthew 26:37-38).
After going a little further and falling on His face, He came back and found that His disciples were asleep. He rebuked them: “What, could ye not WATCH with me one hour?” (Matthew 26:40).
I believe that the phrase “watch with me” is an invitation to seek to–in a small way–learn about, understand, appreciate, and feel for the different and difficult experiences of others in the world, just as the Savior did. While we will NEVER be able to do what the Savior did–and we certainly aren’t expected to try, as followers of Christ, we CAN certainly do our best to stay awake and “watch with [Him] one hour”.
As Easter approaches, I believe that we can better appreciate what Christ did for us and feel closer to Him as we seek to come closer to each other.

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