Do I mirror Him?

"The Message that points to Christ on the Cross seems like sheer silliness to those hellbent on destruction, but for those on the way of salvation it makes perfect sense. This is the way God works, and most powerfully as it turns out. It's written, "I'll turn conventional wisdom on its head, I'll expose so-called experts as crackpots." So where can you find someone truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day and age? Hasn't God exposed it all as pretentious nonsense? Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God, God in his wisdom took delight in using what the world considered dumb—preaching, of all things!—to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation." (1 Chorinthians 1:18-21, The Message)

"But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in His name. Who owe their birth neither to bloods nor to the will of the flesh nor to the will of man, but to God." (John 1:12-13 Amp)

I am thinking a lot these days about how I live out my faith and what people see when they look at me. I heard it many times in Christian circles that we need to mirror Jesus and that His followers in Antioch mirrored Him so much that they were actually named Christians. I agree that He is my example in this life, and that He came to show me how to fully live for God, but I also noticed something which I don't agree with. Somehow this "mirror Jesus" principle was twisted and now I am suppose to be something I am not in order to "qualify" as a Christian in some people's books. What do I mean? For example, He asks me to be gentle, He does not ask me to walk around talking in a whispered voice in order to appear gentle. I am suppose to rejoice in knowing I am His, but that doesn't mean I have to have a smile plastered on my face all day long. Believe it or not Yeshua expected us to also cry once in a while, otherwise He wouldn't have said: "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." (Matthew 5:4)
Being a Christ follower is more than appearing gentle and showing a smiling face. There's more to this walk than "Smile, Jesus loves you". It's also about commitment to stick to it through the hard times and giving up on the things you know are worthless for the place you are going.

He never asked me to mutilate my personality in order to fit in a shape which was not even created for me. He never asked me to love Him with all of Billy Graham or Mother Tereza's heart, soul and strength. He never asked me to pick up their cross every day and follow Him. He asked me to love Him with all my heart, soul and strength and pick up my cross everyday and follow Him.

Yeshua's cross was a love that sacrificed Yeshua for Emanuela's sake. Emanuela's cross is a love that sacrificies Emanuela for Yeshua's sake. Sacrificing my selfish desires, my wish for those who hurt me to pay for what they do to me, choices that have got nothing to do with the road I chose to walk on... And if this sacrificing business doesn't work for me everyday, it only makes me acknowledge even more how dependant I am on God in order to live my life as I know I should.

He gave me everything and asked three things in return: Love Me, Follow Me and Tell Others what I do in your life.

In my selfishness, I would like nothing more than to keep Him as my precious treasure and never tell anyone anything. I am tempted everyday, especially when I see how much people "care". But I was way to marked forever by this love to keep quiet. Why do I post all this on a blog and add the link to Facebook? For the same reason you read sometimes "Joe Blog is now in a relationship" Just as Joe Blog, I am so excited about what I found that I will not keep quiet.

I my first posting "Taking the first step", I said I hope to bring at some point a bit of beauty and encouragement into someone's life. He is the only true beauty I found so far in my journey. And that is why I talk about Him. Now, if what I say here does not resemble someone's idea of Christianity and if I don't mirror Him, that means I am still a work in progress, but I am not about to give up on who I am in order to fit the description. I am convinced if He would've wanted us to be all alike, He would've created us that way. But what a waist it would have been... Jews believe that when a man dies a world ceases to exist. In my world with Him there is no one else and in your world with Him there is nobody else. It's something unique, beautiful and precious. Now picture the millions that loved Him through the ages. Get the picture? That's why I am not suppose to be like anybody else, because if I twist myself in order to fit in an image which is not me, the unique and the precious is lost. I might not be a mirror to Yeshua yet, but I'm not gonna be anybody else's mirror either. I am just me...



Mysterious
That's what I call You
I'm curious about You
I'm scared and not sure that You are safe
But Your eyes seem to say that You are good

Chorus
This is not a dream that I'm living
This is just a world of Your own
You took me from all that I knew
Shown me how it feels to hope
With You with me, facing tomorrow together
I can learn to fly
Feels like I'm living in a lion's mouth, but the lion is (an angel)

Wise eyes, You see the core of me
Your gentleness melts me
And now I know that words cannot describe
The power that I feel when I'm with You
Peace and power, love forever
Who am I to stand before You?
I am speechless
But in my weakness
You are here and all is well

You took me from all that I knew
Shown me how it feels to hope
With You with me, facing tomorrow together
I can learn to fly
Feels like I'm living in a lion's mouth, but the lion is (an angel)

Chorus
This is not a dream that I'm living
This is just a world of Your own
You took me from all that I knew
Shown me how it feels to hope
With You with me, facing tomorrow together
I can learn to fly
Feels like I'm living in a lion's mouth, but the lion is (an angel)

is an angel