It’s a great question to ask every day of the journey: Do you know Jesus?
I had a very good upbringing. I measure that by how my parents created an environment around the fear of the Lord and the importance of a sound religious background. I measure that in the example that my parents showed their children. I have no recollection of seeing anything from my parents to suggest there should be doubt about the existence of God and the importance of honouring Him. They set the parameters for us as a household to appreciate what was acceptable and unacceptable to God to the best of their ability. I don’t doubt the love my parents had for us. I don’t doubt their sacrifice to ensure their children had the best foundation for a life that matters.
One aspect of that upbringing that I appreciate was the understanding that following in the faith had to be a personal decision based on our understanding and responsibility. There was never a sense in which either of my parents put pressure on us to comply to follow in the faith. Even when we each individually committed to following in the faith, they did not pressure us to comply with everything said by the church leadership or to the organisation's requirements. As it was, I was a compliant type anyway. I tended to keep to myself whenever I had questions, reservations, and concerns about organisational issues. I saw how others had experienced being ostracised for questioning leadership. I witnessed how others would be mistreated for daring to go against the status quo. I also observed how engaging in dialogue about issues was pointless because those responsible didn’t have the capacity to engage properly.
Thus, my initial years after committing to follow in the faith were more about understanding that I was committing to something that would help explain my life but wouldn’t necessarily feed significantly into anything about community or church. I would not classify that as the origin. I would consider it an important circumstance to understand the origins.
It was in this context that a double life emerged. One where what I did in secret, I wouldn’t want those in the church to find out about. And those in the church weren’t interested in finding those things out because, to a large degree, they operated on appearances. They weren’t there for the larger costs of discipleship. They may have a surface affiliation to certain public sins, but they weren’t interested in what it was to follow Jesus. Thankfully, some individuals were passionate about what it was to follow Jesus. As my double life began to impact me, there was someone concerned enough to discover that I may not have been truly experiencing the joys of the Lord. There was someone who wasn’t about judging me and condemning me. He was all about working with me to understand where I was regarding the basics.
This is where the origins can be discovered. Those basics were not about being baptised and joining a church. Those basics were not about being able to read the Bible well and give a convincing idea that you knew how to talk about it. Those basics were not about if I attended church and knew the doctrinal statements.
The basics were – who is Jesus? Did I know Him? Did I know what He did on the Cross? Did I know what His mission was on earth? Did I know what it was to follow Him? Did I know what it was to grow in a relationship with Him? Did I truly know Him personally as the Lord of all and the Saviour of the world? Did I know Him? Not did I know things about Him. Not did I know what the Bible said around Him. Did I know Him? Did I love Him? Did I know how much I needed Him?
It comes across as a lot for the basics – but essentially, they revolved around that one question: Did I know Him?
That question would be the key to every other significant episode in my life. Addressing that question was the origin of life in Christ. Addressing that question would be the central matter whenever I experienced crises. Responses to that question explained so many highs and lows in life. It’s not a question I ever satisfactorily resolve, but it is a question I appreciate a lot more now than I did even at the beginning. It’s a helpful question that guides relationships with those who know Him and those who are yet to know Him. It’s a great question to ask at the start of the journey.
It’s a great question to ask every day in the journey.
For His Name's Sake
C. L. J. Dryden
Shalom
