When You’re Not Like Jesus
Following some brutal years on the mission field, Tony Kris took a deep dive outside of ministry and read Cycle of Grace slowly over several months. His journaling led to the following insights that challenge the traditional thinking about how to be more Jesus-like. The following is from Tony:
Being more like Jesus goes beyond reading scripture, prayer, attending church service and retreating.
Jesus took long walks, played with children and had an interactive relationship with others. He went to adventurous places (on boats, wilderness, new lands), cooked, had spirited encounters, lived with diverse people (foreigners, thunderous men, surfers of the margins); he knew scary people (soldiers, demoniacs and people in power); he cried, enjoyed creative sleep, went fishing, practiced story-composition, tried constant new experiences (walked on water, long trekking, verbal sword fights), did stage work, played in the mud, felt adulation and enjoyed upside-downing cultural norms.
He asked others for help and challenged power structures. His life included riding animals, feasting, drinking, parties, women friends, older friends, child friends, dying friends, wealthy friends, “sideshow” friends, on occasional foot massage or head massage. There was music, hanging with the guys, fire-time, watching people get healed, watching people celebrate new healing and provision, witnessing acts of bravery (men tearing through a ceiling or Peter attacking soldiers), experiencing and expressing epiphanies (connecting the past to the present).
He had a healthy relationship with his mom. He said cool stuff and watched other’s responses, saw families restored, knew the feel of warm tears on his skiin and oil on the head, of feeling loved, of watching his friends grow up, watching them take chances, watching them make mistakes and grow from it. He included hanging out with dead people (transfiguration), seeing his community grow (from 12 to 72), comforting, telling people not to worry, reminding people of the Father, reminding people of heaven (on earth).
Jesus was constantly creating… from carpentry to mason work, from fixing sandals to mending tunics. He balanced brain work and body work, the public with the intimate, the exposed with the private and the heavenly with the vulgar.
Within this reflection are three important questions:
- In what ways are you currently living like Jesus?
- What are some of the ways you would like to live more like Jesus?
- What commitment do you make to be more Christ-like?
If we can help you along your journey, reach out. If you want to take a weekend for a deep dive into what is working and not working in your life as you try to be more like Jesus, consider joining an upcoming Men’s Retreat or Women’s Retreat. If you are not ready for a retreat, consider selecting a Crucible Coach to help you get started.