Am I willing to do what Jesus says?
I found a sticky note with this question scrawled in my own writing as I was tidying up this weekend. I’m sure I read it in one of my theology books, wrote it down to emphasize the point, and then, as often happens, life got in the way of my good intentions.
Am I willing to do what Jesus says?
There are times when that is not an easy yes. Doing things happily for people who irritate me, refraining from gossip, and loving instead of judging are just a few of the daily foibles for which I have to be on guard. God loved me enough to come down to earth, live as a man, and die a humiliating death on the cross for me. And I rationalize not giving something to the guys on the corners holding cardboard signs that are a mainstay of the “big city.”
Am I willing to do what Jesus says?
The holidays are the time when we find it easier to love. Everywhere we look, there are shiny decorations. Everywhere we go, there are songs about happy times, family and warm fires on chilly nights to make us feel good inside. I already have my Sirius radio tuned to the Christmas channel!
But, what will we do when January rolls around, when the icy fingers of winter are full upon us, and the holidays are a fuzzy memory? Will it be so easy to love then? Not without prayer and study and practice and faith. If we want to shine the light or leave the kind of footprint in the sand that is the mark of the love of Christ, we have to choose to follow Him everyday of our life, not just during the holidays.
Am I willing to do what Jesus says?
Are you?
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