Tag: Following

“Daddy are you a Princess?”

A couple of weeks ago my almost 3 year old came up to me and said, “Daddy can I brush your hair?” Being a good dad and wanting to spend time with my son I said, “Of course buddy”

So he started to brush my hair, with a plastic saw of course. And then he turned to me and said, “Daddy are you a princess?” At which point I said, “I don’t think you should brush my hair anymore.”

Hudson, just from brushing my hair at 3 years old, made the associative leap to me being a princess. Even though he was brushing my hair with a plastic saw from his tool set the very action of brushing hair reminded him of “princesses”. I think he’s picked this up from his daycare and the five year old girl who is there with him. But what’s the point, other than that Hudson is never brushing my hair again?

The point is this: that certain behaviors get associated with certain types of people.

The simple act of brushing hair reminded Hudson of a princess. The thing I was thinking about as I walked to work today was what types of actions get associated with Christians? Or the more difficult question, “do my actions get associated with Jesus Christ?”

What I mean is this: do my friends, neighbours, and enemies (and maybe especially enemies) associate me with Jesus because of how I live? Would my lifestyle have anyone stop and ask, “Andrew do you follow Jesus?” Hudson stops and asks “Dad are you a princess” because of one action. But would anyone else stop and ask me if I follow Jesus because of all of my actions?

This is the question that really stopped me today, and made me think and reconsider how I live. Do people associate me with Jesus because of how I live and if they don’t, are there changes I need to make?

So for me that’s what I’m thinking about today. Are there any changes I need to make so that my life looks more Jesus-like? Does anyone actually stop and ask me about following Jesus because of how I’m living? What can I do to better follow Jesus? And maybe those are some questions worth for you to think about today too. Do your co-workers know you follow Jesus because of how you live? What about friends, hockey teammates, and family?

So that’s where I’m at today, thinking about what my actions say about me. Because the truth is this, that because of my actions I’d rather people be asking me if I’m a Jesus follower rather than a princess…

by Andrew Mills

Optional Christianity ~ Picking and Choosing What to Follow

Soren Kiekegaard wrote:

“The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly.”

The problem is that he is right, and what he said is true. Because deep down sometimes my wish was that certain parts of following Jesus were optional.

I want to keep the “he loves me with grace” part. I want to keep the unconditional love, forgiveness, and mercy part. I want to keep the God sacrificing for me part. But when it comes to me giving grace freely I’m okay with it…the first time. I’m sort-of okay with it the second time. I’m less likely to be good with it the…77thtime…

But here is the point: giving grace, forgiving, and sacrificing aren’t optional parts of following Jesus. He says we are to love our enemies (Matt: 5:44). He says we are to forgive as we’ve been forgiven (Matt 6:12). He calls us to a life of sacrifice (Luke 9:23).

The truth is doing those things are hard. Doing those things are counter-cultural and they don’t make sense. Forgiving doesn’t make sense when you let go the hurts and slights that have happened. Giving grace to people who don’t deserve it, want it, or use it in the right way doesn’t make sense. Sacrificing your life for people who could care less doesn’t make sense. I’m not arguing that those things make sense, I’m simply arguing that those things are the way we follow Jesus.

We’d love to make following Jesus easy without grace, forgiveness, and sacrifice. But my guess is that the reason you are at all interested in Jesus is because of his grace, forgiveness, and sacrifice. If we are followers of Jesus, we then need to be followers in grace, forgiveness, and sacrifice. Jesus never promises following him will be easy; he simply promises it will be worthwhile and lead to life.

So while sometimes I wish some things in the Christian life were optional, I now know better. Because sometimes it is living out the hard things that give the most meaning…

So today, who do you need to forgive? Who do you need to show grace to? How can you sacrifice for God? And yes, it will be hard, but you’ll be being like Jesus…

by Andrew Mills