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“Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. He pleaded earnestly with him, ‘My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.’” — Mark 5:22-23
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Trust is simple — until it’s not. It’s easy to say “I trust God” when life is smooth, but what about when you’re out of answers? When the pressure’s on and everything feels like it’s falling apart?
In Mark 5, we meet some people who reached the end of their rope — and that’s exactly where Jesus met them: a synagogue leader named Jairus, a woman who’d been suffering for 12 years, and Jairus’ grieving family. They had all heard about Jesus and knew the stories; now they needed those stories to be true. That’s what trust really is — believing someone is who they say they are and will do what they say they’ll do.
Jesus is inviting us into a different way of living: not by sight, not by noise, but by faith.
Jairus had a lot to lose. A leader in the synagogue, a respected voice in the religious community, he wasn’t supposed to come to Jesus, especially not with so many eyes watching. But his daughter — his world — was dying. And when what we love most is slipping away, reputation takes a back seat to desperation.
Athletes know this kind of moment. You’ve trained hard, the championship’s on the line, your body’s giving out. But you don’t care how you look, who’s watching, or what people will say. You lay it all out there. You give everything — because that’s what love does.
Jairus threw himself at Jesus’ feet. Not because it was proper, but because it was necessary. His trust was raw, risky, courageous, and Jesus received it. When the stakes are high — your family, your future, your identity — what do you do? Do you keep up appearances? Or do you fall at His feet?
Reflection: What is the thing you love most? Are you willing to trust Jesus with it, even if others don’t understand?
— Josh Lindblom, Pro Athletes Outreach
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