Jesus

I had a realization this morning. It’s about Jesus. He’s one of my favorites for lots of reasons. More recently I’ve been running into him everywhere! But I’ve sorta been missing it until this morning. I woke up thinking about how those of us who follow the Bible know that when we start to thank Jesus and give him praise, something shifts. The shift is in us, and it’s all around us in our atmosphere and countenance. But getting to that place is so weird sometimes. It can look super religious.

Dear Jesus Christ, maker of all, sustainer of life, originator of the gospel, I praise you in most holy reverence. (Haha can you tell I grew up in church?)

Those are beautiful prayers. But sometimes I think Jesus likes the simple ones just as much if not more.

Hey Jesus, you’re really good at building things. I’ve been noticing it as I watch my friend Erica smile and come to life as you rebuild her heart. Thanks for that.

When I was thinking about praising Jesus this morning I thought of my friend Spencer. He looks so much like Jesus to me. Sometimes I text Spencer just because I want some words of life and kindness and I know (just from knowing him for years) that he will always be in a good mood. Spencer will always, no matter what’s happening in his own life, be excited for what’s happening in mine. And Spencer always confirms who I am through how he talks to me.

When I talk to Jesus, he tends to be in this mischievous mood where he wants to turn my words of life back on myself. When I tell Jesus he’s a good friend he looks at me and says wow, you too! When I ask to see His glory, sometimes he looks at me and says you ARE my glory. I always receive when I give to Jesus. Just like I always get life when I interact with my friend Spencer.

But that’s not all.

My friend Kacey looks like Jesus to me when she tenderly looks at me crying and confirms my relationship with the Father. And I wonder how he invited 12 guys into that incredible relationship with his dad- much less the rest of the world.

My friend Chris looks like Jesus when he laughs in pride and delight over his daughter’s gurgling, even as she offers him nothing. And I wonder what he looked like when he held those children in his lap.

My friend Erica looked like Jesus when she makes me dance in the rain with her and then splashes into a puddle just because she can. And I wonder what was broken off and released when he played.

My roommate Chelsey looks like Jesus often as she takes time to be with others and care about the details of their lives. And I wonder how he was able to stop so often and heal the sick when he was exhausted himself.

My friend Sierra looks like Jesus when she enters into my story and gives me dating advice and delights with my excitement. And I wonder about the secret stories shared with those twelve that we don’t get to be witness of.

My friend James, who looks a lot like Jesus to me in his wildness, would probably use some fancy words to tell me that I am taking all the best attributes of my human friends and making them attributes of the living God. Essentially I am making God in man’s image.

I’m not sure that I have a response to that, except to say Jesus is man. So thankfully there’s this wild, mischievous, caring, multifaceted part of God that looks a lot like man. And I get to talk face to face with God now because of that man. And every time I interact with him, he’s a little more than I thought he was the last time.

And the fun part of all this running into Jesus, is that I’m realizing something. I’m realizing that sometimes I get to look like him too. Sometimes my hands reaching out in kindness to rub a back or my lips ready to laugh in delight look a whole lot like his hands and his lips. And often I look like him when I am being most like me. When I am unapologetically living like me, I look like him. So maybe what’s in me is really actually clean and good and I look like him because I’m part of the family, not because I try so hard!