Good Friday is a day that challenges many of us. We want to skip ahead to the joy and new life of Easter. However, that joy cannot be fully realized apart from the deep pain of the preceding Friday. Today, we think about that pain and the love it took to endure. But for Jesus’ disciples and followers, that pain was even deeper because on the very first Good Friday, they could not see that new life was just two days away. All they could see was hope dashed.

A devotion I recently read discusses the pain of that Friday and how it is the hardest kind to bear:

“Most of us have experienced this Friday for ourselves. It’s not the disillusionment of Thursday, when our own performance falls short [like Peter]. It’s the blow that strikes from the outside, the tragedy that destroys our loved one, our health, our livelihood.”

I think about the people that Opportunity International seeks to serve, and how many such Fridays they experience. So many live on the brink from each day where the weather, their government, a robbery or an illness can wipe away everything.

I’m reminded of Leidi, an Opportunity Colombia client from Bogota, who shares: “I didn’t know how we would survive each day.”

Because we know there is hope, we are inspired to shine that hope to others. Together, we work to empower hardworking mothers and fathers so that their abundant God-given talents can bring hope and a bright future to their families and communities. 

The second part of Leidi’s quote? “Today, I allow myself to dream of a better future for my son.”

I pray that this Good Friday will allow you time to meditate on the deep love of God, the faithful actions of Jesus, and finally – the hope for new life ahead.