I’ve been a Jesus girl for some time. I prefer to define my faith this way because the word Christian suggests a wide range of definitions, some that resonate with me, and some that clearly don’t.
Jesus gave us great examples of how to walk with God and with our neighbors, too. His perspective was literally divine. We aren’t always tuned in to loving our neighbors, our enemies, or those family members who make us a little bit nuts. It appears though, that God wants us to get along, be forgiving, and lend a hand to one another whenever we can. He wants us to make a difference.
Some of us want Christianity, or maybe Christians, to have all the answers to the foolishness that exists in an upside-down world. Of course, the kind of Christianity Jesus talked about does have the answers. It comes chock full of examples and how-to’s, and anything else we might need to get the job done. However, most of us still need a lot of training.
Jesus healed people and fed them. He inspired their hearts and minds and never once acted selfishly. He looked to God to guide Him and He never saw people as they were. He saw their potential, what they could be. He looked into their hearts and left them better than He had found them. If this sounds foreign, it’s because we struggle to imitate Him in the little things we do. We have become so used to trying to out-do our neighbors, that we’ve ceased to raise our neighbors up and bring encouragement and possibilities their way.
Jesus issued a challenge when He left earth to go back to heaven. He said if we believed in Him, we would do even more than He did because He’d give us the gift of the Holy Spirit. So, what would it be like if Christians were observed by the world as being those people who made a difference everywhere they happened to be? What if they were seen sharing God’s love with those who are considered difficult or unlovable? What if they prayed for good health and expected people to be healed? What if being a Christian meant you opened your hands and your heart and changed the world simply by allowing God’s light to shine through? Imagine that!
We may not cause a fig tree to wither at our say so or be able to feed five thousand people with a few English muffins, but we could probably create our own list of minor miracles. All we have to do is truly follow the Leader. As a Jesus girl, I believe anything is possible with God. As a Christian girl, I believe we’ve got some work to do to rise to the standard God wants from any of us. The Holy Spirit lives in the world today and He will give each of us ways to work for the benefit of others. Don’t be surprised if you find a coin in a fish’s mouth. Be the light you were always meant to be.