Friends and Relations

"For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." -Hebrews 2:18

I picked this verse among many. Read 1 Peter also as it talks extensively about the suffering of Christ. And also how we are called to share in his sufferings. Because one of the most important aspects of Christ that I often forget, much to my own damage, is that he was human. I think I forget that while he was still wholly God, he "did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped" (Philippians 2:6), and as such he stepped down, humbled himself, and became human. And so he knows. He knows what it is to be a human. He understands pain, loneliness, sadness, betrayal, and all the things we face, and he knows them to a greater degree than we can imagine. He knows the everyday struggles. He can relate to the temptations that are there on a daily basis.
We do not have a God sitting on the clouds sipping wine, oblivious to what it is to be here. He knows. He lived it. He suffered greater than we ever will. He felt every height and depth of emotion. And he faced every temptation yet never sinned.
So first conclusion is that the temptations we face we can overcome through Christ. Yes they are strong temptations and to try and face them alone is foolishness and failure. But we know Christ was able to withstand, and we know that "No temptation has seized you except that which is common to man, and the Lord your God is faithful, and will not tempt you past your ability, but with temptation He will also provide a way to escape, that you may be able to endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Second conclusion, and the one I forget so often, is that God cares about us. Even the little things. Because He knows what it is like to suffer through the little things. God's plan for our life is perfect. And this extends beyond salvation. God's plan is for all of our life. So when I am feeling brought low by sadness, loneliness, a feeling of desertion or betrayal, worry about tomorrow, etc I can know I have a God who knows how that feels, who can relate, and who cares.
I never want to forget that, because when I do I feel so alone. But we never are. Never. And that is the most amazing knowledge to possess, the most important thing I can feel when I don't have the capacity to feel at all.