Rise, let us go!
—Matthew 26:46
Crushed with anguish over what he was facing, 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.
Emotions of sorrow and shame must have been devastating when they thought about that night. They had failed him who had never failed them.
You know the feeling, don’t you? Gut-wrenching grief over having been unfaithful to him who has never been unfaithful to you.
Listen for 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 OK. Put it behind you. You’ll do better next time.
You can’t change the past,
but you can change the future.