Slightly Off the Beaten Path – One Man’s
Opinion
Jesus
*Note: Just to put this piece into perspective – it is written from the viewpoint of an individual raised in a Methodist Christian tradition and who has, over the years, transitioned away from this structured line of thought.
JESUS
I was introduced to Jesus at a fairly early age through Sunday School, bible stories and of course the song “Jesus Loves Me”. I learned about his birth, his life, his teachings and naturally, his death. I learned that following him would be a very, very good thing to do. I still believe that.
Over the years, I have come to appreciate Jesus not only as a significant spiritual being who graced us with his presence here on earth but also as a human being who had the guts to do what he was convinced he needed to do. And I have a strong appreciation for the spiritual Jesus who I feel continues to exist and affect our lives.
In the beginning, I believed everything about Jesus that appeared in print in the bible. Every last word. Over the years however, I’ve realized that I couldn’t rely on the historical accuracy of the bible. Even though the bible contains a lot of good, useful information – a history book it ain’t. Initially, this created a bit of brain strain. As I learned more about some of the contradictions and probable embellishments in the stories of Jesus’ life, I couldn’t help but wonder how I could separate the fact from the fiction and still wind up with anything useful and pertinent to my life.
Eventually I learned that the details aren’t really all that important. That it doesn’t make any difference at all if Mary was really a virgin, if Jesus was born in a stable, if angels were singing, if there were really three wise men, if Jesus was married and had kids, if he actually turned water into wine, if he fed the multitudes, if he really said all those things he supposedly said, if he physically rose from the dead, etc. Even though a whole bunch of people have put forth a lot of effort cussing and discussing most of these events and situations, in the final analysis it doesn’t make any difference if they are true or not. They are still really cool stories. And with just a little thought, it’s easy to see why they came to be included in the bible. More important than the details I think, is the apparent evidence the Jesus even existed and that he provided a wealth of useful information. Even though we may never know his exact words, we still likely have his intent and that is generally clear enough for most of us.
Here’s the Jesus I’ve come to know and genuinely love. He was a beautiful man filled with love, caring and compassion for everyone. His connection with the spiritual world allowed him to have insights into “the system” that we might not have otherwise been privy to. For most people, I’m sure he was an absolute joy to be around. I can imagine his magnetic personality, sparkling eyes and beautiful smile. And yes, I can also picture him as a strong, independent, rebellious, kick-ass human being. Cool! Even “thank God”, if you will.
The Jesus I chat with now periodically is pretty much the same individual that was here on earth – with the main exception that he now has no need for the independent, kick-ass traits that were useful at that time. He is loving, caring, compassionate and understanding beyond anything we could possibly imagine. He knows us – individually and collectively – far better than we know ourselves. He thinks of us equally in that none of us is any better or “worse” than anyone else. He is dedicated to helping every one of us, in any way possible, develop and learn about ourselves and about the bigger picture including the significance of our lives. He is always available to help us grow so that we each can experience and appreciate true, all-encompassing love. Oh yeah, and he also has a great sense of humor. What a beautiful spirit!
One more thing. He also appreciates knowing that we love him (if we really mean it, of course) and gladly accepts and gives out hugs. If you haven’t already, you might try it sometime. Damn, it feels good…
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