Throughout the 1990’s there for some reason was a craze that swept the country. This craze commanded deep introspection and self-examination. This craze pushed people to do better than just being themselves. It pushed them to be greater, more loving, more caring, more compassionate, more forgiving. It challenged them to reflect the life some of the life they were professing and aspire to the legacy that was left behind by Him. This craze was a mantra that sounded from sea to shining sea. This craze was WWJD!
WWJD for those that may not know stood for What Would Jesus Do. It was supposed to have been a way to curb our impulses and actions in any given situation. My question is what happened to it? Everybody back then was so gung-ho about it and then this great mantra turned into a cliché, then into the butt of a joke, then into a mockery whereby we substituted our own names or names of people we felt were better suited to look up to such as what would Brian Boitano do or what would Johnny Cash do. We allowed it to be a mockery for marketing during Black Friday by saying what would Jesus buy. So again I ask what happened to WWJD?
I think that thinking about what Jesus would do became too difficult for us. It started cramping our style because it made us turn the other cheek and be kind to our enemies and our neighbors. It made us forgive those who had done us wrong and seek out ways to bless even those that we didn’t know. It forced us to be honest with our friends, our families, and most importantly ourselves. WWJD forced us to be exactly who we said we were, Christians which is a term that is supposed to mean Christ-like. If you aren’t going to try to live as He lived and exemplify His character then how dare you attempt to carry the title? Jesus did more than go to church as a matter of fact He was inside the walls of a temple way less frequently than we spend wasting our time in church listening to someone try to help us better live a lifestyle we really aren’t living in the first place. I’m not saying I’ve got it all together because God knows I’ve got my faults and they are many (which I am working on by His grace). What I am saying is, how can dare to call ourselves something we aren’t really trying to be. It’s completely ludicrous. I know some of you readers are thinking to yourself “I’m doing my part, I’m trying to live as He lived”, well then I am not talking to you (less you are one that believes you are trying and are not). The name of this blog is “Real Talk”, so I’m just trying to have a real discussion about the state of things I see to help us (including myself) live a life of love and purpose as we should in Christ.
Jesus has become some craze, some fad that goes in and out of style especially when times are hard as they are now, but the moment things are good that fad goes out like bell bottoms and jheri curls. I believe we need to go back to the time when we put thought into what Jesus would do and say in any situation we come up against. Because if we apply Jesus to every situation in our lives we will come out perfect and I guarantee our lives will be better. So for the first time in one of my blogs I lay down a challenge and the challenge is this; for one month go back to WWJD and see if your life doesn’t begin to make a turn for the better. I promise you, you can’t go wrong when you use Jesus as your everyday model. I don’t know what happened to WWJD but I do know I’m trying to bring it back.
If you have any comments or questions about today’s blog please feel free to email me at jesse.jones@highpraiseministries.com. Remember Grow in God’s Grace and Abide in His Love.
