If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a blogger it’s this: if
you want to see your views at an all time low, just write about Jesus. Even in
spite of my suspicion that a large majority of my readers love Jesus, the
numbers don’t lie. A large majority of people are bored with Jesus. I know that
sounds harsh, but like I said the proof is in the pudding. Now I’ve also come
to learn that as a blogger, it is incredibly easy to be driven by yourself and
your page views. It would be so easy to write on one of the other topics I love
to write about (marriage, family, motherhood, crazy shenanigans, etc.) and then
just sprinkle in a little Jesus. But the most important thing I ever promised
myself and the Lord when I decided to do this writing thing was that when I feel
compelled to write, I write. I won’t let fear or greed or insecurity hold
me back and I won’t let ambition morph my love for writing. So as per my
promise, here I am.
I know that sometimes people think Jesus is boring, because
at times I know I’ve been one of those bored people. But the thing about it is,
Jesus isn’t boring. Maybe what I think of him, how I enjoy him, or what I do
with him is boring; but not HIM. Jesus was wildly unpredictable during his time
on earth. Even the men and women who traveled with him and learned from him
were terrible at guessing his next move. Jesus spoke with love and frankness,
which is something I think gets lost within the niceties of Christian culture
sometimes. He outrageously loved, to the point of offending all the religious
people who were watching him. He had his choice of crowds full of people, and
yet he chose to spend his time in the home of a fraudulent thief? He showed
love and kindness to hookers. I don’t even know a hooker, so this is way
outside of my sphere of experiences. I’m sure he constantly overhead whispers
of “You just don’t do that,” and if he didn’t I’m sure that complainers found
their way to his friends to leave their proverbial comment cards. The vibrant
and exciting life that Jesus led for the sake of the Gospel makes it seem
silly that we constantly want black and white answers for our growing lists of
do’s and don’ts. Jesus saw and lived by the big picture while the people
around him constantly had their head pointed straight down at the ground in
front of them. As I read through the book of John I find myself wondering how
Jesus didn’t snap out of frustration and yell “Stop being so scared that you
are going to trip on a bump in the road and get your eyes up. You’re missing
it!” I wonder how he doesn’t scream that to me while I’m patting myself on the
back for being so good.
While I’m grinning at the handy work of the life I’ve built,
Jesus waits for me to throw down my little lantern, to look up, and to run into
the sunrise. Jesus doesn’t bother himself with nice things or acceptable
behavior, Jesus lives richly, abundantly, graciously, faithfully,
vibrantly….and he wants me to join him. Can you believe it? He desires to share
his abundance with me. So for when we think maybe Jesus is just boring, I
wonder, what is your answer to His invitation? Maybe we haven’t taken him up on
his offer for new life filled with color and promise. Maybe we settled for
something a little duller and a lot easier to explain to people. Because Jesus gives
new life, and he brings the hope of glory to come…he doesn’t do boring. No
matter how glamorous or how routine your life is, you have the opportunity to
live it in excellence for the glory of Jesus Christ. It’s not about what you’re
doing, it’s about how you are doing it and who you are doing it for. It doesn’t
matter where you are called, it matters that you are loved enough to be called
at all.
Answer him, look up, and live in His radiance.
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