When I wrote part one, I wasn’t planning on there being a part 2, but alas here we are. I want to be honest and open with you all and share the hard as well as the good. I was reminded this weekend that walking with Jesus and meeting with Him everyday is hard! So often when I have a super sweet time with Jesus, I long for the same experience over and over again. Let’s be honest, there are times when it seems impossible to get back to that place where Jesus is waiting with coffee. It reminds of a story. Last December a friend and I went on a peppermint mocha tour of KC, or at least we tried to. Turns out I suck at navigation, we ended up at one shop that had gone out of business and another that was in Children’s Mercy hospital. While that experience was funny and one that we still laugh about it, it is also so much like real life and walking with Jesus, knowing your lost, but refusing to admit it and ask for help. That’s kind of how it seemed yesterday. I was navigating and was clearly lost, since Jesus was NOT at the same coffee shop as I was.

Yesterday I woke up in a bad mood. No idea why, but everything seemed off. As normal I tried to start my day with Jesus, but as hard as I tried to get back to that place of stillness and quietness I couldn’t seem to find the place. I was clearly trying to recreate or manufacture the same coffee date experience I’d had the previous week. And it just wasn’t working. I got up in the same bad mood I’d sat down in. Little things, stupid things irritated me all day long. A cloud of darkness settled in and took over. By mid afternoon, I’d started avoiding my family because I knew we were going to argue about something and it was strictly because of my mood.

I share this for a couple of reasons. One, I think too often we Christians don’t share the hard and unsettling experiences where it seems as though Jesus has stopped listening. Which can lead others to feel like they must be doing something wrong because their quiet times are a struggle. No where in the Bible does it say walking with Jesus is going to be easy, or that it’s always going to be a bright sunshine filled day full of hope and rainbows. What it does say is “be holy, because I am holy” and “consider others as more important than yourselves” and “walk in a manner worthy of your calling”. None of that is easy! 

Today, when I woke up in the same bad mood I decided that was enough. I was honest with God, telling Him I was in a bad mood and couldn’t work out why but I needed His help to shake it. It took some time, and I filled several journal pages. Eventually, He led me to two passages of scripture; Psalms 40 and John 13:12-16. This is where the second reason for sharing comes in, Psalms 40 talks about being lifted out of a pit, and being placed on solid ground. It’s about perspective and remembering all of who God is and all He has done for us. God doesn’t want us to be miserable or sacrifice more than He asks. What He does want is ALL of us, which means sometimes the world and its gunk has to be scrubbed off, which can be painful. The passage in John is about Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. In this, Jesus says “you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done for you.” Jesus Himself, instructs us to be like Him! That is not an easy ask or assignment!

Jesus came to serve. He even served, washed the feet of the man who would betray Him, just a few hours later. Think about that, sit with it and put yourself in the place of Judas. Isn’t that exactly what Jesus has done for each of us? He has/is washing our feet, even though we get mad, frustrated, judgy, prideful and jealous (just to name a few). All the while, He is calling us to be more and more like Himself each and every day. Jesus’ life was far from perfect from a worldly perspective. He wasn’t rich, wasn’t famous, didn’t have influential friends or achieve much success from a worldly standpoint. Instead He hung out with fisherman, tax collectors, the outcasts. And most importantly He obeyed His/our Father to the very end of His life here on earth. We are called to do the same. To obey when it’s unpopular, to turn our backs on worldly success and status, to be and live differently. To simply listen to and obey our Father, even when it’s hard and we don’t want to.

Let’s not let a bad day or imperfect people and circumstances move us from the “narrow road” we’ve been called to travel on. Let’s chose to be like Jesus!