Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Changing your filter.

"Living the Christian life is about learning to be like Jesus."

We've all heard it, believed it, subscribed to it, idealized it.  But, let's get real - what does that sentimental statement even mean?  How do we make it reality?  Am I doing a good job in my process of learning?  

Ideally, I'd love to think that if one were to examine my days they would look liked this:  joy, love, patience, kindness, encouragement, courage, boldness, rainbows, sunshine and happiness.  But, in reality, this is what most of my days look like in a play by play:

Wake up.  Dog needs to go out.  She's overly excited that it's morning.  I don't want to play.  I just want coffee.  Try to watch the news, someone else in my household wakes up.  They ask questions.  I respond with half-words and as little acknowledgement of morning as possible.  I wait too long to get in the shower, then rush through my routine.  I run out of the house less than satisfied with how I look.  I speed all the way to whatever work/class/activity/meeting I have.  I participate knowing that I am not as fully prepared as I should be.  I hop from meeting to class to office to appointment.  I meet with friends.  I'm not fully engaged in conversations with friends because my mind is running a million miles an hour.  I do school work.  I do work work.  I wish away the days until Friday.  I come back to reality.  I finally reach my point of ultimate tiredness.  I drive home hastily, mad that someone in front of me is driving slower than I want them to.  I get home.  The dog is excited to see me.  I brush off her excitement because it's late and I make her lay down.  I get in my bed.  I crash.  Wake up.  Wash.  Rinse.  Repeat. 

The bottom line here is that I lack grace.  For myself and for others.  Most days, I fail to remember that I'm trying to be like Jesus so that others recognize Him in me.  

I dare you to cast all your religious theology aside and to choose to see this next part of this blog through the filter of a God who so loved the world. 

Being like Jesus is not about a denomination, a set of rules, being bad and/or good, choosing the right things, doing the right things or saying the right things.  It's not about whether you believe in organized religious gatherings or individual meditation.  It's not about how stressed you are or are not.  It is not about whether or not I give money to people on the street or how many times I deny myself.  Learning to be like Jesus is not about how humble of a job I take, how many days in a row I go without buying clothes or how many degrees and letters I have behind my name.  Everything I just listed is a byproduct of a world who is seeking to understand the meaning of life.

Being like Jesus is about learning grace.  The unmerited, undeserved, uninhibited, and WILD favor of the Kingdom.  It rests on me.  It rests on you.  My only job is making the commitment.  Then I leave the rest up to grace.  

The reality is that learning to be like Jesus is so not about me.  Or you.  Or anyone else.  Learning to be like Jesus is realizing that you've been empowered the truth and love of the Kingdom.  All you have to do is first receive that love and then give out of the abundance available in your heart. 

I'm not suggesting that Christianity isn't complex, or that we should dumb it down.  I'm not knocking all the years of writing and effort it has taken to hash out theological tenants of faith.  I'm not suggesting that we have been stuck in oppression and bondage and need to break free.  I'm simply suggesting that if we want to know what it looks like to learn to be like Jesus, we start loving ourselves and others right where we're at.  Right where they're at.  We need to start seeing our realities through the filter of grace.

Ask Jesus to adjust your reality to one which is filtered through grace.  And then get out of your own way.  You'll be so glad you did. 

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