Who do you say Jesus is?

Photo by Sam on Unsplash

"I just wish people could see God for who He really is." That was the desire and frustration I voiced to my spiritual director during a recent session. She tenderly assured me with almost a mischievous smile that God wants the same thing. 
In my nearly 20-year walk with Jesus (how did that much time pass so quickly?), that's perhaps one of my biggest desires and points of frustration. I've seen many people who have decided who God is or isn't based on their less-than-stellar experiences with church or Christians, or their own unmet expectations of what they felt God "should" have done. And I get it. Sometimes people are...well, let's just say, disappointing, and life can throw us some devastating curveballs. But people aren't God, and God didn't actually promise us an easy (or even a long) life. (He made a lot of other amazing promises that He makes good on, but that's for another post.) I don't pretend to have God figured out, but I have desperately tried to posture myself in a way that allows Him to tell me who He is (through His Word, Spirit, etc.) vs. letting a bad experience with a church, person, or even life tell me. How we see God is one we want to get right.
If you haven't wrestled your view of God to the absolute ground, I invite you to consider periodically exploring God's existence and merit. If you continue to land in the camp that He doesn't exist, He isn't good, or He actually continues to fit in the box you've put Him in (or someone else put him in and handed you), you aren't out all that much. But if you happen to discover something different, something more, it could change everything. 
In fact, an accurate view of God is something even Jesus wanted to make sure his disciples got right before he left them. 

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Matthew 16:13-15

He was like "Yeah, I know what other people are saying...but what do you say?" This wasn't something he could risk them missing. He was banking on them carrying the truth of his identity forward after the impending cross. I won't spoil it here, but if you are curious, Peter gets it right in verse 16. However, we should note that even knowing the truth in our head can be very different from deeply knowing the truth in the depths of our being.
Perhaps the most pivotal issue we are invited to wrestle with in our lives is who we say Jesus is. Our answer is the lens through which we view the world and ourselves. 

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That reality lies at the heart of my desire to hold space for others as they wrestle with the things of God. Dissecting what they've been told from what they've experienced, allowing their faith to unfold or even unravel.  Shakily holding their deep-seated questions, wondering if there's a safe place for them to land. If that's you, you're invited to consider exploring spiritual direction. I'd be happy to meet with you to determine if we would be a good fit, or point you to other options and resources that will support your faith journey.​