Tomorrow is our grandson Walter’s birthday, so Dave and I visited a couple thrift stores looking for vintage vinyl LPs for our ten-year-old audiophile. While at one of the stores I noticed an awfully nice, good sized Jesus in the collectable section behind the counter. I set my eyes on him, pondering what I could use him for. First thought… the neighborhood nativity. “He’s a bit big for that,” Dave noted, though he agreed with me that this was an awfully nice Jesus.
As is often the case when I discover something uniquely cool, I’ve been thinking about that Jesus since we left the store, having that internal debate about whether or not I should have grabbed him. Besides pondering where I could use him, I’ve been thinking about that sticky price tag attached to his leg. A little voice in my head keeps asking me, “What should Jesus cost?”
I’m aware of the concept that what Jesus offers us comes free, with no strings attached. That’s grace. I can buy the concept that he offers us his redeeming power without charge. That’s from His perspective.
But from mine, it’s a little, or a lot, more confusing to me. I have a gut feeling that I need to apply some work to get what I hope for out of my relationship with him.
My brother George is a scientist. He taught me about the Law of Entropy, which basically represents that in this earthly realm everything is headed toward chaos. Things, by nature, will fall apart. The thing that will bring it to order is an exertion of energy, in scientific terms known as “work”. Basically, it takes effort to keep everything from falling apart. So, for me to live in this earthly state and have a relationship with a godly being, I think I need to provide the work. (It feels a little easier to just resign ourselves to chaos, doesn't it?)
Many Christians believe otherwise; that we cannot earn any of what Heaven has to offer, that grace implies no accountability. That’s OK, I agree we get to figure this stuff out ourselves with our innate right to choose. But for me, my current thinking/feeling is that there needs to be a measure of effort on my part for me to acquire the traits of Christ. There's a bit of resistance training involved.
For example, I know if I want to accompany myself on guitar, I need to learn the song, know the chords, practice enough to switch between those chords and get my fingering right on both hands for chording and picking. I curl the palm of my left hand toward my eyes and note the calluses on my fingertips. Pressing my flesh into those metal strings daily has earned me these protective coatings. The repeated struggle has facilitated the reward. If I want to be a Christian, I need to make an effort to learn the “Jesus chords”, and what other sacrifices it will cost me to make him mine. I’m already His. I don’t earn my way to Him. But it takes me some work to make Him mine.
Why, one might ask, would I even want to make Him mine? That’s the daily question I need to answer. It’s the question I choose to answer. The asking of the question is pivotal for me. It’s kind of like when I make a list of things I need to do on a Saturday morning, I may not follow the list, or even look at it again, but the making of it places the thoughts in my head and increases my odds of accomplishing the tasks.
So, I ask myself, “What would I pay for Jesus?” How much is too much? And do I really want Him in the first place?
For me, the part of my self-definition that includes the word "Christian" is up there in the rankings. You know how some words, when you search them in the Dictionary, have 5 or 6 different meanings, some of them nouns, some adjectives or verbs, etc.? When I’m done, and people try to describe me to others, I want “Disciple of Christ” to be right up there. That moniker explains an awful lot without having to use words.
First, it would confirm that I trust we are of divine origin and have a relationship with our creators. Then it would indicate that there is a pattern established that I believe will lead me to internal peace, if not happiness. When I ponder what character traits I want to have, they pretty much align with the ones our records of Jesus indicate he has. He is firm in his devotion to his God, so much so that when you speak of one you could say the same about the other. He is a lover of his fellow beings, to excess. He even begged forgiveness for the people who took his life, because they surely did not understand the gravity of their actions. He has perfected empathy. He is the very soul and source of empathy. He embraces the balance of justice and mercy. He is strong, and tender, kind and exacting. He’s just the coolest, finest, warmest, most loving and I adore him. That’s the kind of person I want to be remembered as. The more I follow him, the more I like myself.
As a Christian, I understand that I am his. He paid for me, so to speak, and he will carry me across the finish line when my own legs give out.
I’m really grateful to be his.
I guess it’s my turn to decide what I’m willing to pay to make Him mine.
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| See that guy in the red? That's me. |
