Be More Like Jesus...No Thanks?

"Be more like Jesus" is the term I heard when I began studying about who he was and why he was an integral part of the Christian faith. "Jesus loves us" is what I was exposed to. I learned that he was also forgiving, selfless, humble and compassionate to those who are vulnerable and marginalized. He also cares for the sick and suffering. But he is much more than that. He is much more than the kind, meek and calm demeanor my mind was conjuring up inside my head.

Jesus has a side that I never was exposed to before coming to faith. No one told me how boss Jesus was (and is) and how he fights against religious rules, systemic oppression and legalism. I mean, you read about it, but I don't recall it being a strong talking point in the beginning of my learning about faith.

Jesus was not an ordinary man. Let's not get it twisted, Jesus was a force to be reckoned with; a divine spiritual baddie (as no one other than myself would like to say).

So why wouldn't I want to be more like Jesus?

Because to be more like Jesus means you have to be willing to give up everything.

When I say everything, I mean it. In my personal journey of coming to faith, I have gained more ability to be like Jesus in my understanding of being forgiving, having the courage to learn and speak up for others/myself, and being of service to those who need it. However, before I was capable of having the emotional, mental and spiritual space within me to emulate the qualities I admired about Jesus, I unknowingly had to clear out the parts of me that cluttered and inhibited my ability to actually be more like him

Do you actually want to know what it feels like to be more like Jesus as a new believer? There are moments that feels lonely. Sometimes it feels like you are walking with people that you love but who don't really understand the new you that is emerging from your faith journey. At times, it feels like rejection; where people presume you are something that you are not. It can feel discouraging, disappointing and at times, devastating to see the truth about who you really were when you didn't have faith in God as part of your life. It feels like humble defeat; that no matter how much self-sacrificing love you have for others, it stays with you to those who don't want anything to do with you - yet you keep on showing up. Then you go from feeling lonely, rejected and on some days defeated to other days where you are empowered, encouraged, and energized. You experience life on spectrum - full of color, emotion, depth and flavor. But in order to experience the vibrancy of life with Jesus in it we have to give up our own way of existing in exchange for it.

It is learning how to step into a fight where the old you and new you battle for first place. The old version of you uses the tactic of fear, guilt and shame to throw punches while the new you bobs and weaves, strategically jabbing back with purpose and conviction. The old version fights with all of its might while the new version moves with intention. The old version exhausts itself swinging, punching, kicking and doing everything that it can to dominate, but the new version steadily holds ground, preserving its energy and strikes accordingly.

BOOM. One hit. Jesus. A knockout punch.

The old version lays on the ground stunned as it comes back to consciousness. Instead of seeing this newer version of you parading around in pride, it finds instead a hand reaching down and out, waiting to lift the old you up. But instead of reaching back out, the old version denies the gesture and gets back up to fight, even with the little it has left.

This is what it is like, at least for me, to be a new believer. It is a constant battle of my old self fighting to stay alive while the new version of me is just trying to reach out in peace and call it a day.

So any takers for those reading this who want to "be more like Jesus?" I am sure with that explanation above there would be many "no thanks, I'll pass on that one." But is it worth it to give up everything you have known to be more like Jesus? Short answer, "yes."

Being more like Jesus has expanded my ability to define what it means to be a "good person." Being more like Jesus has given me freedom to "have eyes to see and ears to hear" (Proverbs 20:12). Being more like Jesus means pressing forward in faith no matter how much people don't understand who you really are and what you stand for. Being more like Jesus doesn't make me a better person over anyone else by any means, but it does make me a person who can see a little bit clearer now through the fog and darkness of our world. With a little more clarity and a whole lot of openness to learn, being more like Jesus has given me a new chance at being someone who can be a better person to the people I love and to the community that I am a part of.

So here is the takeaway...

Jesus is beyond the basics of love and light. He is not limited by the religions that talk about him nor defined by the biases and ignorance of people who don't know him that make him out to be something that he is not. Jesus is not just a name tied to Christianity. Jesus is an example of how to live life as someone who is a person that impacts the world with purpose. Jesus was a change maker meant to disrupt the ineffective, inefficient and inadequate systems, relationships and dynamics set in place.

So be more like Jesus...

• When it comes to breaking against what's wrong and corrupt on a personal, social and systemic level

• Who advocates for the poor and disadvantaged

• Who loves unconditionally - the poor, the sick, the outcasts, the burdened, the sinners (people who just missed the mark and made mistakes)

• Who challenged systems of oppression and legalism and wasn't afraid to speak against injustice

• Who shows us what it biblically means to "be a good person" and how to love our neighbors as we love ourselves

• Who forgives others unconditionally while holding accountability as well

• Who helps others feel healed by just a word of encouragement or through a touch of compassion

• Who is the lamb and the lion (the peacekeeper and table flipper) - the duality of humility and strength, servant and King, and being fully man while being fully God

• Who is a divine spiritual baddie.

In the debut book of The Starting Point, the topic of isolation and the impacts of coming to faith is discussed. The book shares the struggles of feeling isolated during moments of transition (the wilderness) and how to trust God through the process of uncertainty.

Purposeful Practices:

1. Who do you think Jesus is? How would you describe him to someone who doesn't know him?

2. Are there any characteristic traits about Jesus that surprise you or that you were not aware of? What qualities stood out to you and how does that impact your understanding of who he is?

3. Jesus represents the duality of the lamb and the lion. Do you tend to see him more in one direction or another? Or do you see him as both equally? In your own life, do you see your life relating more to the lamb, the lion, or both qualities equally? Write down the qualities that you relate to and share what qualities you wish to grow in?