A Gentle Jesus

When Peter saw Jesus walking on water, he asked the Lord to invite him to come join. With the invitation, Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on water too but then got afraid. Beginning to sink, he cried out to the Lord Jesus. Our Messiah reached out and saved him then said, "You have so little faith. Why did you doubt me?" Matthew 14:22-36

I've been moved lately to the conviction that Christians in general don't hear or speak enough about Christ. Instead the bulk of our speech and what we are taught is about "right living." I'm beginning to see how letting our conversation be saturated with talk of Jesus is a narrow road and how a focus on mostly "right living" is the broad one. So in our family times, and more in my conversations, I want to speak about him most because he is the Heart of All!!!

Last night during our family devotional, my daughter and I spoke about Jesus and it was amazing! Like many of us who didn't grow up consistently attending church, there is SO much about Jesus she doesn't know and what she perceives isn't biblically accurate. I can relate.

So as she described Jesus to me, and since she's reading through Matthew in her personal times with God, she brought up the story above and mentioned how mad Jesus was at Peter. Is that how you read it too? I remember as a younger Christian reading verses the same way! Do you read scriptures as though Jesus and God are totally frustrated at people all the time? Honestly, many of us do. Consider with me, though, Galatians 5:22-23. In this passage the fruits of the Holy Spirit are described, " love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." These descriptions are of God's spirit...so why do we so often read Jesus with a harsh or disappointing tone even if he's correcting?

Since the bible is not labeled with emoticons :) my suggestion to her, and to you, is to read Jesus with a fruit of the spirit tone unless there are words written to describe his tone differently. I described the verse above to my daughter again but in the light of thinking about when a child walks for the first time. See the excitement in the parent's eyes with each step the child makes...when they stumble or get scared most parents don't come back with a harsh tone. When a child is experiencing walking for the first time parents try to be there to swoop them up in their arms. So I see Jesus with excitement in his eyes as Peter takes his first steps of walking on water. Then I see him swooping him up like a father would his child in a huge hug when he got scared and began sinking. Then how Jesus spoke about faith and doubt but with compassion, gentleness and understanding.

I think when we see Jesus fully in the light of the fruit of the Spirit, our whole outlook and reading of his life on earth can make our hearts take a beautiful shift! Remember Jesus loves you.