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Whether they are traveling through a small farming town in Nebraska, a surfing village in California or an industrial community in Pennsylvania, politicians love to show how they can relate to the people in that area. But the sad thing is that they can't really meet those people on the same level; they can't identify with them no matter how hard they try to make it appear like they can.

Jesus, though, never gives us that illusion of identity. He doesn't throw up a façade to try and appear like he gets where we are coming from. Jesus Christ connected with the people of two thousand years ago, and he connects with you and me today on a level that we can understand and appreciate.

At one point we've all said, "No one understands my situation." But that statement could not be farther from the truth. Jesus understands; he's been there; he knows what we go through day in and day out. He had a job - for most of his life he was a carpenter. He had the same relationships that you and I have today - mother, father, brothers, sister, friends, and enemies. He even faced the same temptations that you and I face. Jesus knows what daily living is like. He knows because he's been there himself.

So this week, when you feel like there is no one that can grasp what you are going through; when you feel like throwing up your hands and giving up; when you have that gut reaction of, "No one understands my situation..." remember that our Savior has been there and then add two words to your statement: