Inspired by Night 2 of the LCMS Youth Gathering & Hebrews 12:1–3
Some moments stay with you.
For many who gathered on Night 2 of the LCMS Youth Gathering, there was a phrase that echoed through the arena and hit deep into the soul:
“I am that joy.”
“Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2 (ESV)
What was the joy set before Jesus?
You were.
That truth landed like a wave. Jesus endured the mockery, the nails, the weight of sin not out of obligation or guilt but with joy. And that joy was you. It was your restoration. It was your freedom. It was your life made new in Him.
You are the joy that kept Him on the cross.
That realization changes everything, especially in the moments we feel too broken, too stuck, or too far gone to endure in Jesus.
Because if we’re honest, sometimes we don’t.
We give in to old habits.
We isolate in shame.
We spiral into addiction, self-harm, porn, or self-loathing, wondering if there’s any way back.
But Night 2 didn’t stop at the hard truth. It pointed us to hope real, honest, Spirit-filled hope.
Jesus endured the cross not just to rescue us but to recreate us. When we surrender the broken pieces to Him, the Holy Spirit goes to work not simply to polish us up, but to make us new.
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)
So if you’re feeling like you’ve failed to endure, hear this:
There is no shame in coming back.
There is no darkness too deep.
There is no mistake too final.
Because Jesus saw all of it and still, you were the joy set before Him.
He didn’t quit on you then.
He won’t quit on you now.
Hold This Close:
- Remind yourself of this throughout this week: “I am that joy.”
- When shame creeps in, remind yourself: Jesus endured for me.
- Pray: “Holy Spirit, take the broken places in me and make me new. I want to endure in Jesus.”
Let’s walk in that joy. Let’s endure not alone, not by our own strength but in Jesus.
Source: www.derrickhurst.org