Remember those bracelets from a few years back? Christians boldly wore plastic or threaded proclamations of their faith and they were so wildly popular, I suspect some non Christians sported them too. Available in a multitude of colors and styles, they morphed from declarations to simple costume jewelry. Somewhere along the line, some wearers probably no longer noticed the lettering and probably forgot to ask themselves sporadically throughout the day, “What would Jesus do?”
Already this morning I had 2 confirmations from 2 very reasonable people. One reminded me that my feelings don’t justify unforgiveness or retailiation from a biblical standpoint and one from a standpoint of protection.
I’ll start by saying I felt pretty entitled last night….scary word, entitlement….to lay it on the line when I felt attacked. Notice that I said I FELT.
Feelings are a formidable issue in my life ~ they’re right out in front for all to see. I yearn to be less transparent where my feelings are concerned but this is how God made me so I’m learning, ever so slowly, to create symmetry between my feelings and my reactions.
Tempering the entitlement of retaliation and unforgiveness. Ugh ~ huge mountain to climb.
So it all brings me back to WWJD. Simply put, He would turn the other cheek. He would pray for the offender. He would certainly not discuss His feelings and His entitlement to those feelings. He would continue to love despite the offense. He would forgive…more than once. When we become followers of Christ, we have to stop dead in our tracks sometimes and ask ourselves “What would Jesus do?”. In the heat of the moment, in the depths of the sadness, the question is always constant. The answer is always constant. Feelings begin to be minimized from that vantage point and the seemingly enormous issues facing us seem smaller somehow. Today, I was reminded of that and if it helps at all, I’ll remind you. Facing something big? What would Jesus do?…..
…..there, it seems a little smaller now and a little clearer now, doesn’t it?