What Would Jesus Do?
A lot of you don’t know me very well, so first I’ll share a little bit about myself. I grew up in Appleton, WI. My parents are still married, and I am the oldest of five kids. I was raised in the Church of Christ, which I am extremely grateful for. I’m sure I wouldn’t be the person I am today if I hadn’t been raised in that church.
Honestly, I came to York College solely for the spiritual aspect. I was afraid if I didn’t go to a Christian college, my faith would slip away. I am so glad I ended up here. I have met so many amazing people who have supported me and helped me with my spirituality. Today I want to share with you what I have learned in my time here.
When I arrived at York, I wasn’t sure where I stood in my faith. I believed, but I felt wasn’t praying enough and that I just didn’t have that ‘spark’ in my relationship with God. I wasn’t sure what was wrong, why did I feel like God just wasn’t there? If I was sure I believed, then why was I still having all these questions?
I was struggling with this for a while, but during high school days my answers came. One of my ‘prayer warriors,’ Roger Dunnam, came to visit that weekend, and I got a lot of time to talk to him.
I was very blunt with him, and jumped into what I was dealing with. I asked him, “I’ve been struggling a lot lately with my relationship with God. Why don’t I feel something, I mean, I’m praying as often as I can, but I feel like I have a one-sided relationship. I see other Christians who seem to be so excited for Jesus, they worship and are raising their hands when they sing, they seem to have it all down.”
Roger stopped me right there. He said, “Amber, first of all, people worship in different ways. There isn’t a right way to worship, except that you’re actually worshipping. Some people lift their hands and sing their hearts out, while others, like you, may be quieter about it. There’s isn’t a set in stone way, it just matters that you are worshipping.”
As soon as he said it, I felt like it was the most obvious thing ever, but already I felt my burden starting to lift. But my heart was still heavy; I still wasn’t sure why I wasn’t feeling anything.
Roger asked me how often I was reading my bible. Apparently, not often enough. He had me open to the book of James, where he shared some eye-opening verses with me. He had me read James 1:22-25:
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it – he will be blessed in what he does.”
What? This wasn’t the answer I was looking for. Roger sensed my confusion, and explained the verses to me.
Most of us know the Ten Commandments, what the greatest command is, and know what is good and bad. We may have them memorized, and for the most part we are living like Jesus told us. But the answer to my question was becoming clearer as Roger went over these verses with me. We know what the bible tells us to do, but like the man in the mirror, when we’re not reading our bibles, we forget what we’re supposed to do. The bible tells us that if we look into the perfect law and not forget, and do what we have heard, then we will be blessed.
As I thought deeper into it, it made more and more sense to me. If we follow Jesus’ will, and obey his word, we grow closer to him.
I see it like this: when I’m not getting along with someone, I try to put myself in their shoes. If we do this with Jesus, we could better understand him and feel closer to him. By obeying his word, and living like Jesus did, we grow that much closer to knowing him.
How many of you remember when the phrase “What would Jesus do?” was popular? I had a WWJD bracelet and thought it was the coolest thing ever. But I was young enough that I didn’t truly understand the meaning behind it. It’s possible that a lot of people didn’t get it either. It was just cool to wear something that had to do with Jesus. Because Jesus is cool.
But how many of us took those words to heart? I know I didn’t, but now as I’ve had this epiphany, I realize someone was on to something when they said “What would Jesus do?”
I have a New Year’s resolution, though I plan to put it into action before the New Year even comes. If I remember to put myself in Jesus’ shoes, and ask myself, “What would he do?” then I can grow closer to him.
I’m still a work in progress, but these are my words of wisdom for today. And I don’t expect immediate results. Living a life like Jesus did, accepting and loving everyone, putting others first, it’s going to take a lot of work. I expect it to be hard at first, and very trying. It may take time before my heart’s fully in it, like Jesus’, but I’m sure that with time, it will get easier, and maybe not a challenge anymore, but a lifestyle.
I want to challenge you to this lifestyle as well. I thought I was alone in that I thought I had no ‘spark’ for God. Roger told me I wasn’t, and by continuing to live a Christ-like life, eventually that spark would come. It takes time, but the results will be rewarding and life changing.
Cheesy as it is, I want to leave you with these words today. What would Jesus do?
Just as wonderfully perfect this time as it was the first several times I read it <3
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