An Arm Around Me

“You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me” (John 15:14-15, NLT).

Jackie Robinson was the first black person to play major league baseball. Breaking baseball’s color barrier, he faced jeering crowds in every stadium. Players would stomp on his feet, spit on him, and kick him.

While playing one day in his home stadium in Brooklyn, he made an error. The fans began to ridicule him. He stood at second base, humiliated, while the fans mercilessly railed on him. Then, shortstop Pee Wee Reese came over and stood next to him. He put his arm around Jackie Robinson and faced the crowd. The stadium became eerily quiet, and all the ridicule ceased. Robinson later said that arm around his shoulder saved his career.

We are sometimes like Jackie Robinson, full of shame. Sometimes, like Jackie, our shame is from nothing we've done. Sometimes our shame is from our mistakes and failures. Regardless of the reason for our shame and dejection, like Pee Wee Reese, Jesus comes and slips His arm around us, and bears our shame for us.

Are you struggling with shame and dejection today? Do you feel like everyone in the world is against you? Be encouraged – Jesus said He is your friend! He stands with outstretched arms waiting to embrace you, and then will stand by your side to face the world with His arm around you. Stand strong, cast off that shame and dejection – Jesus took all of that for you and declared, “It is finished.”

Pray with Me:

God, thank you for being my friend and manifesting that friendship through your Son Jesus. Today, I come to you with all my guilt, shame, and dejection, and ask you to cleanse me and help me stand tall again. I can do so knowing you are my friend, and that your arm is around me. Amen.