Jesus was like us

It's hard to believe God understands our problems, too. When Jesus came to earth as a person, He knew people wouldn't believe He understood the things they were afraid of. After all, He was God! So, in this week's Gospel (Matthew 3:13-17), He does something to prove He's like everyone else: He gets baptized.

Jesus came to John the Baptist to be baptized. John tried to stop Him, saying, "I should be baptized by you!" But Jesus said to do it anyway. As soon as John baptized Jesus, the Holy Spirit came down from heaven to Jesus in the shape of a dove, and God the Father's voice said, "This is my beloved Son, and I'm proud of Him."

Since Jesus was God, He knew lots of people thought that even God didn't understand them. How could God have problems? It was hard for them to see that Jesus was a person just like them -- with problems and fears.

One way to get help with problems is to talk about them. If you do, you'll probably find out that other kids and even grownups have felt just like you. Just knowing that can help you feel better!

Jesus wanted to help people, too. He got baptized to show He had problems like them, that He needed help from God, His Father -- just like the people who sinned and came to be baptized to say they were sorry and wanted to be closer to God.

BY being baptized, Jesus showed us we're not as alone as we think!

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK: Jesus, help me find people to talk to, so I can see I'm not alone! Amen.