Yesterday’s quote was two simple questions.
What if it isn’t about things going my way?
What if it’s about becoming aligned with the Way?
I used to think the whole point of talking to Jesus was to tell him what I wanted – figuring if I told him often enough, he would likely make it happen, because he loves me.
Some very long and lonely nights in a hospital room following my injury helped me rethink my strategy. Lots of conversation and reflection, watching others recover and die, led me to conclude that whatever Jesus was up to, it obviously wasn’t about handing me what I wanted.
So, since I absolutely believe he loves me and wants the best for me, what’s going on? If we’re going to dismiss all the simplistic platitudes used to explain away what seems, from our perspective, to be unnecessary suffering and struggle, how do we make sense of what Jesus does?
Honestly, it’s a question that haunted me for nearly 40 years. Then recently, I’ve spent some time digging into the Sermon on the Mount, and I think I understand.
Jesus came to bring an entirely new sort of Kingdom, one in which peace and justice would prevail. And in order for me to be part of that Kingdom, I need to become like him. It’s that simple, and that impossible.
It’s not about things going my way. Jesus came to show me how to live, how to be aligned with THE WAY.
So, when I fuss about why he allows human trafficking, he tells me it’s my job to be a peacemaker. And as I said a couple of weeks ago, peacemaking means being willing to interrupt injustice. Even if it’s inconvenient, even if it involves sacrifice, even if it’s unpopular.
Maybe The Beatitudes aren’t just nice statements about other people. Maybe they’re descriptions of how to be aligned with Jesus.
Maybe THE WAY is what really matters.