Safe

When I was little we went to a youth event at a local church and the group DC Talk had just put out their new song "Jesus Freak" and they played it and handed out these bracelets that said WWJD. It was a whole movement. I would look down and see this fluorescent bracelet in the weeks to come and have an extremely guilty conscious every time I did anything I felt might make God upset with me. Eventually I probably took it off and filed it away thinking I had met, no exceeded, my number of failures.

What if I missed the entire point? What if it wasn't doing something wrong but more about the position of my heart. What if representing Jesus meant looking at other people, our family, our friends, and even complete strangers with the same love and grace that Jesus showed us when he walked on this earth. When did it become about taking a tally of rights and wrongs and move away from loving people where they were at?

More importantly, did I really think a bracelet was going to prevent me from falling short? Sure it was a visual reminder but perhaps the point was to think about how Jesus would treat people. It was a reminder that Jesus was a walking hug just waiting to happen! He was the guy you wanted to be around because He had so much wisdom and you felt accepted and hopeful. When He looked at you, His eyes could see into your soul and you felt heard. He didn't hand you a list of all the ways you messed up, but instead reminded you of how incredibly special you were. Suddenly He is everything you need Him to be...your person, giving you advice about what to do about your life, raising your children, the hole you've dug yourself into, the mess you've made, the loss you've faced. He's the friend that calls when you feel lonely and makes you get up, get dressed, just to come talk with you and raise your spirits. He cries with you and He celebrates with you. He makes you feel safe!

So if that is who Jesus is, then in order to represent Him and ask that question WWJD.... we have to know who Jesus was. How do you make people feel when you interact with them?