follow means follow

The life of Jesus is his most basic teaching

                               Thich Nhat Hanh

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Some of us a visual learners

I have to admit, I struggle with languages because I can’t learn a word easily

Simply by hearing it

 

I have to see it

On paper, written out

Only then will it stick

 

And we have all heard the familiar saying

“a picture is worth a thousand words”

 

so is a life

 

if we want to understand God, we look at Jesus

if we want to understand what values and beliefs drive and shape a person

we look at their life

 

in my listening skills workshop

I teach that everything we want to communicate is put into “code”

 

that code has three components

 

words, tone, and body language

words are the least important (7%)

tone is next (38%)

and body language, actions and behaviors as well as stance

is the most significant piece (55%)

 

and what can you trust?

that over which we have the least control

our body language

 

our flushed face, clenched jaw

our crossed arms, our turned back

 

and we can expand that to larger actions

is a person welcoming

generous

kind

 

how one lives is the primary way

one reveals who they are

 

so to put this back together

if we say we follow Jesus

than we have to follow Jesus

we have to live the way Jesus lived

for the life of Jesus was his most basic teaching

 

and Jesus lived servanthood

sacrifice

kindness

welcome

love

 

we can’t bully and say we follow

we can’t follow the path of domination and abuse

and say we follow

we can’t ignore the poor

or abandon the vulnerable

or wallow in resentment

or embrace violence

 

and say we follow

 

if we really believe in Jesus, our lives should look like his

we should be so open to the Spirit

so permeated by the Sacred

that our lives become an outward expression

as Jesus’ was

of Love

 

as Dallas Willard so aptly puts it,

“Jesus does not call us to do what he did, but to be as he was, permeated with love. Then the doing of what he did and said becomes the natural expression of who we are in him.”

 

Jesus life was his basic teaching

faith is therefore

a lifestyle

 

it is the only true way

to communicate

Sacred Love