Let’s be brutally honest for a minute, life is hard. And it tempts us to think less of ourselves than we should. 

It’s hard when you’re a child learning from those around you who aren’t always patient. It’s hard when you’re an adult trying to impart wisdom on an ungrateful generation. It’s hard when you’re old enough to be wise but too old be considered helpful. It’s hard when you’re too young to be respected but incredibly respectful. 

It’s hard when you feel undervalued, underappreciated, and underused. It’s hard when you feel overwhelmed, overworked, and stretched too thin. It’s hard to be the one in the center of the room leading everyone and it’s hard to be a follower doing the best you can in relative obscurity. 

It’s hard to be a man, unable to show emotion without the label of weakling. It’s hard to be a woman, unable to show emotion without the label of basket case. It’s hard to be a teenager, unable to show emotion without the label of dramatic (or moody). 

Life is hard, we all know that. Thankfully, without any reservation, Jesus lived this difficult life. He cried, He hurt, He knew what it was like to be overlooked, ignored, and undervalued. That’s why Hebrews 4:15 means so much to me because “we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”