Like Jesus?
There is a scene in one of the Harry Potter movies where Harry discovers a magic mirror. What is magic about this mirror is explained by Dumbledore: "What this mirror shows is nothing less than the deepest, strongest desire of a person's heart." In my life, I know that such a mirror would have shown many scenes. When I was younger, maybe a picture of my dad playing with me and letting me know he was proud of me. During High School: a state championship, free beer, a new car, a beautiful girl. College would have been very similar had it not been for Christ. As I look back, it is hard to believe that four years could have been divided by such drastically different goals, dreams, and desires. I traded kegs for communion, partying for praying, and infamous soccer trips for revival and mission trips.
And as I really look back over all those years, I realize that more than anything else, I just wanted to matter. I wanted to mean something, to serve a purpose. I still do. I have very little insight into how best to accomplish this, except to follow Christ. His life mattered more than any other in history, and I suppose that His is an example worth following. And that is exactly where the difficulty lies. He was empty of selfish desires. He had no house. He left all the wealth and comfort of heaven behind. He hung out with outcasts and rejects. He was hated by the very people he came to help. His closest friends let him down. He was called crazy and posessed. He was laughed at and spit upon. He was eventually murdered.
Surely, as Christians we look back at these facts and miss their significance. We fail to appreciate truly how hard it must have been to actually have lived this life. Think about it: what if you were asked to give up all you had, leave your family and travel from town to town, be rejected by most people, have your life threatened by angry mobs, have the very people you were trying to reach plot to kill you, be betrayed by a friend, have your closest friend deny he or she even knows you, and then eventually be executed for crimes you did not commit? Could you handle it?
I don't think I could. I know what it is like to be rejected and to feel betrayed, but not like Jesus. I know what it is like to be made fun of and laughed at, to be different and not accepted, but not like Jesus. I know what it is like to go without and not have all that money could afford, but not like Jesus. I have often thought that I had been wronged, short changed, or treated unfairly, but not like Jesus actually was.
The more I think about it, the more I realize that I don't really want to be like Jesus. Sure, I want the blessings, the glory, the place of honor, but without the pain, heartache, or suffering. The deepest, strongest desire of Jesus' heart was to please his Father. That was all that mattered, and that was the driving passion for Christ's life, teachings, and healings. I want that for my own life - to please God by doing His will - but I also want a lot of friends, a nice car (a Black BMW M5, in case anyone wondered), a nice house with a pool and full closets, money in the bank, and immediate confirmation that what I'm doing matters. Of course, the Jesus package doesn't always include such items, and often I find myself more interested in the material things rather than pleasing God. However, I have to admit that as I "grow up" and life begins to take on a different meaning, I am beginning to see the beauty in living for this singular desire. It is not always immediately rewarding, nor is it often easy. But I know that I can do God's will, and that I can endure any hardship, blessing, pain, laughter, joy, and sorrow that God allows. You see, I "do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (Hebrews 4:15-16). It is because of this that I press on and crawl forward. I have no idea where my life will go or how it will all play out. I only pray that daily my life would be one that desires God. And I rest in the confidence that there is One who has gone before me, who has endured every thing that I have, and who will be near me giving me the strength to persevere.
And as I really look back over all those years, I realize that more than anything else, I just wanted to matter. I wanted to mean something, to serve a purpose. I still do. I have very little insight into how best to accomplish this, except to follow Christ. His life mattered more than any other in history, and I suppose that His is an example worth following. And that is exactly where the difficulty lies. He was empty of selfish desires. He had no house. He left all the wealth and comfort of heaven behind. He hung out with outcasts and rejects. He was hated by the very people he came to help. His closest friends let him down. He was called crazy and posessed. He was laughed at and spit upon. He was eventually murdered.
Surely, as Christians we look back at these facts and miss their significance. We fail to appreciate truly how hard it must have been to actually have lived this life. Think about it: what if you were asked to give up all you had, leave your family and travel from town to town, be rejected by most people, have your life threatened by angry mobs, have the very people you were trying to reach plot to kill you, be betrayed by a friend, have your closest friend deny he or she even knows you, and then eventually be executed for crimes you did not commit? Could you handle it?
I don't think I could. I know what it is like to be rejected and to feel betrayed, but not like Jesus. I know what it is like to be made fun of and laughed at, to be different and not accepted, but not like Jesus. I know what it is like to go without and not have all that money could afford, but not like Jesus. I have often thought that I had been wronged, short changed, or treated unfairly, but not like Jesus actually was.
The more I think about it, the more I realize that I don't really want to be like Jesus. Sure, I want the blessings, the glory, the place of honor, but without the pain, heartache, or suffering. The deepest, strongest desire of Jesus' heart was to please his Father. That was all that mattered, and that was the driving passion for Christ's life, teachings, and healings. I want that for my own life - to please God by doing His will - but I also want a lot of friends, a nice car (a Black BMW M5, in case anyone wondered), a nice house with a pool and full closets, money in the bank, and immediate confirmation that what I'm doing matters. Of course, the Jesus package doesn't always include such items, and often I find myself more interested in the material things rather than pleasing God. However, I have to admit that as I "grow up" and life begins to take on a different meaning, I am beginning to see the beauty in living for this singular desire. It is not always immediately rewarding, nor is it often easy. But I know that I can do God's will, and that I can endure any hardship, blessing, pain, laughter, joy, and sorrow that God allows. You see, I "do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (Hebrews 4:15-16). It is because of this that I press on and crawl forward. I have no idea where my life will go or how it will all play out. I only pray that daily my life would be one that desires God. And I rest in the confidence that there is One who has gone before me, who has endured every thing that I have, and who will be near me giving me the strength to persevere.
Living for Jesus, a life that is true,
Striving to please Him in all that I do;
Yielding allegiance, glad hearted and free,
This is the pathway of blessing for me.
O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee,
For You, in Your atonement, didst give Thyself for me.
I own no other Master, my heart shall be Your throne.
My life I give, henceforth to live, O Christ, for You alone.
Living for Jesus Who died in my place,
Bearing on Calvary my sin and disgrace;
Such love constrains me to answer His call,
Follow His leading and give Him my all.
posted by Aaron Hernandez at
7/17/2006
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