WWJD on FB
All the sudden an icon pops up…friend request.
What would the icon look like?
The Catholic Jesus?
The Protestant Jesus?
The Pentecostal Jesus?
A cross, a dove, a fish?
Would I have to think a bit before pressing “accept”?
I would definitely look at His info page.
I mean, I’ve heard lots of sermons about Him.
I’ve read about Him in the Bible.
I have my perceptions and interpretations.
I accepted Him once. I’ll hit accept.
I head for His home page.
His status update…”I love you.”
I hit the “like” button.
Immediately He pops up to chat.
“I was just thinking about you.”
Huh? I thought.
“What? Don’t you believe me?”
“I’m sorry, just a little disbelief.”
“Yeah, I get that a lot.”
“Oh me of little faith.”
“Ever see a mustard seed? Talk about little!”
“So you’ve been thinking of me…what about?”
“How much you look right through me.”
“How can a puny little human like me
look right through the Son of God?”
“You would be surprised how many do it.”
“So, how do I look through you?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“I’m not exactly sure, but I do want to do the right thing.”
“I know that about you Jerry, all your life doing the right thing
has been up there on your list…Do you remember when you grabbed that
bar of soap and took a bite out of it?”
“Ha!…My mom didn’t even know I said a bad word.”
“Your conscience has been pretty healthy through the years.”
“Yeah, but I still did and thought a lot of not-so-right things.
Still do.”
“You live in a not-so-right world with a not-so-right heart.”
“Amen to that.”
“But listen, I gave you a part of Us to help with that.”
“Do you mean the Comforter?”
“Absolutely, He has partnered with your conscience to turn you
when you need turning.”
“You mean repentance.”
“Yes, but I try to avoid words that have lost their power
because of over use in religion.”
“Wow, I brush over a lot of words like that because I’ve heard
them so many times in the Christian culture!”
“That’s how.”
“That’s how what?”
“That’s how you look right through me.”
“What?” My heart sank.
“I know how important words are to you. John’s gospel said I am the Word.
The difference is that I am a living word. Yet often I am a word that is simply read
on a page, or used as a by-word…a curse word. Remember the other day when someone
used my name in vain?”
“Yeah, I thought how it was a shame your name had so little value to that person.”
“Jerry, you do it too. You don’t use it as curse word…you have other
words you use for that.”
I cringed.
“Don’t sweat that so much, just keep track of your heart. But when it comes
to my name try to remember that I am behind it. I Am, you know.”
I do know, sometimes I know too much, I thought…It’s just that the knowledge gets
rattling around in my brain. It’s fun to know stuff and let it come out in
conversations.
“Hey, don’t be afraid to tell me what you are thinking.”
“Sorry, it’s just that you make me think.”
“I was hoping for that. About that knowledge that rattles around your brain…you need
to swallow it.”
“I’m sorry?”
“You need to swallow that knowledge and get it in your gut.”
“In my gut?”
“Yes, in the Old Testament some would meditate day and night.”
“So meditation is like swallowing?”
“Yes, and I would compare swallowing with understanding. Understanding will
show up in every day stuff. Get knowledge in your gut and your actions and
response in the ins and outs begin to transform.”
“So what happens to the knowledge I don’t swallow?”
“Your brain and ego get puffy and sometimes it comes out in conversations. It gets
good when you hook up with other puffy brains. Someone coined the term ‘talking
heads‘…that would explain it. Back in the day the Pharisees were pro’s at it.”
“Ah yes, the bad, ‘good’ guys. You didn’t have much patience for them did you?”
“I suppose pride is something for which I have little patience.”
I paused and thought……”hey, aren’t we ‘talking heads’ right now?”
“What do you think?”
“I don’t sense that we are, yet we are talking. Why is that?”
“It’s because our conversation is in the context of relationship. Remember
yesterday your lunch with Barbara?”
“Yes, it was rich. I felt so close to her.”
“Yeah, but all you were doing was talking.”
“I get it, it’s because we have a context of 26 years of living life. The words are
thrown into that context and meaning is ‘quickened,’ brought to life.”
“That is what I desire for us and anyone who is willing build a context for us to
have conversations.”
“Hey, I’m sorry but a context is calling me right now. The kids are up and need
some help with their Honey Nut Cheerios.”
“Yeah, I’ve noticed. It was so nice to chat with you.”
“Yes, like wow, it was rich.”
“Just remember, I am with you always, not just on FB. Lol”
As I wrote I love you on his wall I saw that he was posting with lots of other people.
“Slow down….let me help you pour that milk….”
G.A.B.
Feb. 2010
