What would you do if you found out your good friend had his head brutally chopped off and then presented to someone on a platter?

Jesus and John the Baptist had a relationship like no other. As a matter of fact, before the two were even born, John “leaped for joy” inside his mother’s belly when their two moms got together. When John grew up, his life’s mission became to prepare the way for Jesus. When Jesus asked John to baptize Him, he got to witness the amazing sight of the Holy Spirit descending and God claiming Jesus as His Son. What an incredibly special bond these two men had. 

And then one day Jesus receives word that John has been cruelly beheaded and then mocked. Matthew 14:13 says, “Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself.” What sorrow must have filled His soul. He left the crowds and even His disciples in order to find some solitude.

When tragedy strikes, when life gets hard, when circumstances overwhelm us, what do we do? Well, we can look to Jesus and see what He did.

When Jesus received horrifying news, He got away, no doubt to grieve and spend time with His Father. But that didn’t last long. The crowds followed Him. Jesus was surely still bearing the weight of grief in His heart after the loss of His dear friend. But when he saw the mass of people, “He had compassion on them and healed their sick.” (14)  Later that evening when people started getting hungry, He miraculously fed all five thousand of them with five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus continued to care about others and minister to their needs, even in the midst of His own heartache.

Elisabeth Elliott, who lost one husband to martyrdom in the Ecuadorian jungle and another to cancer, encourages people going through trials to simply, “Do the next thing.” Elisabeth’s faith, like Jesus, was active, not passive. When she was hurting, she kept going, one little step at a time. When our hearts are heavy, when we are feeling weary or overwhelmed, all we have to do is look at the next small thing in front of us and find the courage to do it. When we move forward and do something, it shows our trust in God. 

Peter emphasizes this same truth when he writes to the persecuted Christians in the early church. He says, “Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.” (1 Peter 4:19)

This is a verse I wrote on a notecard and put on my dresser shortly after Lexi died. It is not easy moving through grief, and I found I would often take one step forward and then several steps back. Healing takes time. Peter’s words reminded me to just keep pushing forward, entrusting my soul to God and doing whatever small action I could. And what a perfect example we see in Jesus, as He turns His focus from Himself to the sick and needy people before Him. 

Each small step of obedience we take gives honor to God and brings us closer to finding peace.