Do we even know what people think of Jesus?
A grandmother, her 20 year old granddaughter and great grandchildren were sitting in a park. This exact question was posed. Something interesting happened.
The grandmother answered right away. "Jesus is my everything. I talk to Him like a friend. Sometimes even out loud like we are talking now",she says. "In my troubles I talk to Him, in my joys I talk to Him, and I always praise God and give thanks for what God has given me." Now this grandmother has diabetes and is blind in one eye and the other is almost blind as well. She has had several things health wise wrong with her.
This is not the interesting part.
The 20 year old granddaughter responds as well. "I don't really know she says. I mean I sort of believe something created us but I can't understand how one thing could do that." The question was posed again, But who is Jesus to you? She said, "Kind of like a good neighbor, when I need something I can ask him, but nothing more than that." She continued to go on, "Once my grandmother got sick I was confused. She always did good and seemed to love Jesus. If God is so great and loves us so much why would He allow this to happen? There can't be a loving God that allows all this suffering. So I stick with Karma and not really Jesus."
Now I know your all hoping there is a redemptive story here, you probably have the answer right at the tip of your tongue. Don't worry there was a rather good conversation and prayer that followed. However, that's not why I'm writing today.
Did you notice something? Look at the two stories. The one with the struggles is not asking the question, "Why"? And She has a relationship with Jesus. The one without the struggles is asking, Why? She has no relationship with Jesus!
That is interesting to me. Wouldn't you think that if the person with struggles is rejoicing in Jesus, the person without should not be questioning God when it come to struggles? Shouldn't it be the other way around?
This led to some questions. How are we representing Jesus? Why is it that the person in pain loves Jesus, and the person without pain is questioning God and why He would allow pain?
What are we doing wrong? Are we representing Jesus as a magic potion to a great life? Or are we representing Jesus as a loving savior who through all our struggles, pains, and joys is there with open arms calling out to us and who loves us no matter what? Is Jesus used as a tool, or lived with in relationship?
Who is Jesus to you?