Time for Big Boy Pants

Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand . . . Matthew 26:45

While enslaved to drugs, I wanted out. I was tired of the paranoia, withdrawal, lying, and continual hiding. It was a miserable life and I wanted help, but I avoided it because I knew the mountain of misery I would have to go through to find recovery. Many times, I picked up the phone to call for help and many times, I put the phone back down because I knew how disruptive it would be to my life to get sober. I knew it would mean confession, treatment, a different job, and radical life change. I wanted recovery, but I was afraid of getting there.

Many of us find ourselves in this position. We want life to be different, but that’s so much work. We hope to change tomorrow, but tomorrow’s change never comes, because right now, we just want to continue our way. So, we lament our condition, wishing for change, but then we just roll over and go back to sleep.

When faced with his own mountain of upcoming misery, Jesus taught us how to face it. In today’s passage, Christ struggled with his looming crucifixion, but then he wrestled his will to the ground, accepting his father’s plan. The disciples who were supposed to keep watch with him, slept. As those who would arrest him approached, Jesus commanded the disciples to wake up and face what was coming. Take your rest later on . . . Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.

Jesus could have run away. He knew what had to be done though, and he did it. It seems that maybe he was trying to pass some of his boldness on to his disciples. This is what we’ve been preparing for. It’s time to grow up and put on your big boy pants. Let’s wake up and get going (my paraphrase).

Often, we know what we need to do. We just do whatever we can to avoid it. To this, Jesus says, Awake, rise, rest later. Now is the time. If we truly want the life we were made for, then we must stop making excuses and we must do what it takes to abandon ourselves and follow Christ today, no matter how hard we think it’s going to be. Now is the time for big boy – or girl – pants.