A few years back, a real scare happened… I started to lose my voice. A pastor losing his voice is a big deal! I’ve often thought, “If I lose my voice, there’s nothing else I can fall back on…” Haha. After going to multiple doctors, the assessment was simple—I was dehydrated and needed to drink more water.

Jesus made a very simple statement about thirst from the cross that has profound implications for our lives. In John 19:28-29, we read, After this, Jesus knew that everything had been done. So that the Scripture would come true, he said, “I am thirsty.” There was a jar full of vinegar there, so the soldiers soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a branch of a hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ mouth.

When Jesus said, “I am thirsty,” it showed He was 100% human. We know Jesus was God… yet He was also human. He was 100% God and 100% human. It’s just as important to say, “Jesus was God” as it is to say, “Jesus was human.” Being fully human, Jesus experienced the pain and suffering of life. Friend, He can relate to your pain—He’s been there.

By saying, “I am thirsty,” Jesus just as easily could have said, “I’m real, I’m human. I have bad days, I’ve been taken advantage of, I’ve been abused, I’ve been hurt, abandoned, forsaken…” You see, as Jesus endured the cross, He showed us something vitally important—we can be real with our hurts and pains as He was real with His.

In fact, one of the keys to getting through life’s hurts is being transparent with someone! In Christ, we are forgiven—but healing comes through transparency with His people. To discover how you can embrace transparency and receive the healing God has for you, dive into this message with me…