Holy Week Begins with Surrender

Holy Week begins with Jesus entering Jerusalem through the East gate, symbolizing His entry as that of a humble king of peace rather than a conqueror. People waved palm branches, shouted praises, and celebrated Him with expectation. Yet even in that moment of honor, Jesus came in humility riding on a donkey. He did not come to take power in the way people expected. He came to fulfill the will of the Father. This beautiful act of submission points us directly to the areas in our own lives where we are tightly gripping the reins.

As followers of Christ, this challenges us to consider our own expectations of Jesus. Do we welcome Him only when He seems to be moving in ways we understand? Or do we trust Him even when His path looks different than what we had hoped? Some of the women I've spoken with in my coaching practice shared that they have been retired for years, so technically, their schedule is theirs to control. Yet, they find themselves completely overwhelmed because they simply do not know when to say no. They use their cell phone calendars to manage their time, but the commitments keep piling up. 

Holy Week teaches us that true discipleship begins with surrender. We lay down our own timelines, our endless to-do lists, our preferences, and our exhausting ideas of control, and we finally say, “Lord, have Your way.”

There is something deeply personal and liberating about this. Many of us want peace, clarity, and direction, yet we resist the surrender that opens the door to those very things. We think we need to fit everything perfectly into a busy schedule, believing that if we just organize our lives better, we will feel more connected. But putting God first and organization second is the key. Holy Week reminds us that Jesus is worthy of more than a rushed, few seconds of acknowledgment between running errands. He is worthy of wholehearted devotion. Even five quiet minutes of honest surrender can begin to soften a weary, distracted heart.

Holy Week Reveals the Depth of Christ’s Love

As the week unfolds, we watch Jesus share the Last Supper with His disciples, pray in the garden, and prepare to endure the Cross. These moments reveal not only His suffering, but the astounding depth of His love. He knew what was coming. He knew the heavy cost. Still, He stayed the course so that we would never have to walk through this life separated from the Father.

That matters immensely for us today. In a world where love can feel conditional, fragile, or disappointing, Holy Week anchors us in the unchanging love of Christ. I've talked to believers who recalled feeling incredibly close to God as a child, teen, or young adult. But then the demands of raising kids, managing a family and maybe even a business, made it terribly hard to keep up with daily devotions and prayer time. Some spent most of their twenties and thirties serving in the church, coasting on the spiritual knowledge and faith they had built up in their younger years. Add in the pain of being hurt by "church" politics or relationships, and suddenly, they now find themselves struggling to truly feel connected to God. 

Maybe they're going through the motions of faith, attending weekly Bible studies or Sunday worship, but more out of guilt or obligation than a genuine hunger for God. But the truth is this. The love of Jesus within us does not run away when things get hard. His love does not fail when we are weak, tired, or just going through the motions. His love is steadfast, sacrificial, and holy. 

When we reflect on the Cross, we are reminded that we are not forgotten, overlooked, or left to save ourselves. Jesus took our place. He bore what we could not bear. He made peace through His blood. This changes the way we live. It gives us courage to turn to God, freedom to receive grace for the days we fall behind in our Bible reading plans, and confidence to draw near to God without an ounce of shame.

For the woman whose mind is all over the place, who feels scattered, exhausted, or spiritually dry, Holy Week becomes an invitation to pause and receive that love again. Not in a rushed, obligatory way, but in a quiet, honest one. Give yourself room to breathe. Sit with the reality that Jesus loves you fully, even here, even now. You do not have to perform for His affection.

Holy Week Confronts Our Need for a Savior

There is no way to move through Holy Week faithfully without facing the seriousness of sin and the breathtaking beauty of redemption. The Cross is both heartbreaking and holy. It shows us the tremendous weight of what Jesus carried and the magnitude of what He accomplished for our souls.

As followers of Christ, we do not look at the Cross casually. We look with profound humility. We remember that Jesus was not merely a good teacher, a moral compass, or a historical figure. He is the spotless Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. His sacrifice is the very reason we can be forgiven, restored, and brought near to the Father. When you are sitting in Christian counseling, trying to untangle the complexities of your past, or when you are simply trying to navigate the overwhelming nature of holistic stress management, the Cross stands as the ultimate beacon of healing.

Holy Week affects us by stripping away our exhausting self-sufficiency. It reminds us that we simply cannot rescue ourselves through striving, perfectionism, performance, or religious routine. We need Jesus completely. That realization is not meant to condemn us or make us feel inadequate. It is meant to free us! When we stop trying to be our own savior, constantly worrying and focusing on our own needs or those of others' to the point that we miss the message God has for us, we can finally rest in the One who has already finished the work.

This is especially meaningful when your faith walk starts to feel dry or mechanical. Sometimes it is incredibly difficult to comprehend Scripture. You might sit down to read and wonder what the passage really means for your life and how to apply it. You might even secretly wonder sometimes, amid all the different faiths and interpretations in the world, if it is all just a story. Holy Week wakes us up from this spiritual slumber. It reminds us that Christianity is not about checking a religious box or perfectly memorizing more scriptures. It is about a living, breathing relationship with the Resurrected Christ, who gave Himself for us and calls us to abide in Him.

Holy Week Teaches Us to Stay Near in the Hard Places

One of the most powerful parts of Holy Week is watching Jesus remain faithful in the hardest, darkest moments. In Gethsemane, He prayed with raw honesty and total surrender. On the Cross, He endured unimaginable suffering. In the silence of the tomb, hope may have seemed hidden to His followers. Yet, behind the scenes, God was still miraculously at work.

That profound truth speaks directly into our everyday lives. There are seasons when our prayers feel terribly heavy, when answers seem painfully delayed, and when we cannot clearly see what God is doing. As a grandmother, I know the unique challenge of knowing how to help my grandchildren navigate a world that feels increasingly chaotic. Sometimes, our children live a distance away, and we feel disconnected, not having many close friends nearby to share our burdens. Holy Week reminds us that silence is not absence. Waiting is not wasted time. And suffering is never the end of the story for those who belong to Christ.

As followers of Jesus, we learn during Holy Week that faith is not only for the bright, celebratory moments. Faith also stays present in the painful, confusing ones. We keep praying. We keep trusting. We keep showing up and having an allocated time slot to bring our hearts before the Lord, even when we do not yet see Resurrection on the horizon. We learn to study the Word with intention, trusting that the Holy Spirit is guiding us.

If you are walking through grief, uncertainty, family strain, disappointment, or spiritual fatigue, Holy Week offers gentle, steadfast companionship. Jesus has gone before you. He knows deep sorrow. He knows total surrender. He knows what it is to trust the Father in the dark. Because of that, you can make it doable today. You do not have to have everything figured out or have the perfect response for your struggles. You can simply stay near to Him.

Holy Week Leads Us to Hope

Of course, the miraculous beauty of Holy Week does not end at the Cross. It leads us directly to the Resurrection. The empty tomb declares, once and for all, that sin and death do not have the final word. Jesus rose in triumphant power, and because He lives, we have a living, unshakable hope.

This is what changes absolutely everything for us as followers of Christ. We do not live as people without hope. We do not endure our hardships, our health challenges, or our emotional exhaustion alone. We do not pray to a distant memory or a historical figure. We belong to a Risen Savior who is alive, present, and still actively transforming lives today.

The Resurrection affects how we face our ordinary, repetitive days. It gives us vital strength when we are weary and feel like we are constantly behind and can't seem to catch up, even though we never stop. It gives us profound peace when life feels uncertain. It gives us beautiful purpose when we feel lost in the shuffle of caring for everyone else. It reminds us that God consistently brings life out of dead places and breathtaking beauty out of ashes. Because Jesus conquered the grave, we can trust Him with every single part of our lives, from our grandest dreams to our smallest daily frustrations.

Holy Week invites us to remember that Resurrection hope is not reserved for one Sunday each year, where we dress up and sing louder than usual. It is the daily, sustaining reality of those who walk with Christ. We are being continuously renewed. We are being gently transformed. We are being drawn deeper into His glorious likeness through every season, whether we are on a mountaintop or walking through a valley.

How Holy Week Can Shape Our Daily Walk with Jesus

Holy Week is meant to do far more than stir our emotions for a few days out of the year. It is meant to shape our hearts, our daily habits, and the very rhythm of our lives. As we intentionally reflect on Jesus’ journey to the Cross and His glorious Resurrection, we are invited to respond in incredibly practical, life-giving ways.

We can purposefully slow down and spend intentional time in Scripture, perhaps reading the gospel accounts with fresh attention. I love devotionals that offer simple Greek word studies, revealing a deeper meaning of a scripture passage, as it helps bridge that gap when I am feeling disconnected. You know... we can pray with radical honesty, bringing Jesus our fears, our ADHD-like distractions, and our hidden disappointments. We can repent where we have drifted away into the busyness of life, and receive His grace without hiding or feeling condemned. We can worship with immense gratitude, remembering that we have been fully redeemed at a great cost.

We can also carry the profound message of Holy Week into our closest relationships. Because Christ has loved us so sacrificially, we can extend that same grace and forgiveness to those who interrupt our well planned out schedules. Because Jesus has served us humbly, we also can walk in humility with those at home and in our workplaces. Because He has overcome death, we can speak bold hope into places of deep discouragement and fear.

If you want to make it doable today, if you want to feel the Holy Spirit moving in your heart again today, you do not need a complicated, overwhelming plan. You don't have to wait until your prayer room is perfectly set up. Begin with one passage of Scripture. Offer one quiet prayer before checking your phone. Express one moment of genuine gratitude. Make one simple act of surrender. God honors a heart that turns toward Him, no matter how small the step may seem.

A Sacred Invitation to Remember and Respond

Holy Week affects us as followers of Christ because it draws us completely back to the very heart of the gospel. It beautifully reminds us who Jesus is, what He has powerfully done, and how deeply, desperately we need Him every single hour. It calls us out of our endless distractions and back into pure devotion. It meets us right in the middle of our weakness, our tiredness, and our overwhelm, and it fills us with fresh, living hope.

If you have felt disconnected, overwhelmed by the demands of life, or simply in need of a renewed rhythm with God that actually fits into your busy world, let this Holy Week be a sacred, personal invitation to remember and respond. Come back to the foot of the Cross. Come back to the wonder of the empty tomb. Come back to the Savior's love that has never, ever let you go.

And if you would like support in creating a simple, meaningful devotional rhythm that helps you manage your stress holistically and move closer to the Lord in this season, I encourage you to book an Aroma of Christ coaching session with me where we can walk this holy path together → Learn More Here