Would Jesus Call Us Friend?

Compassionate. Competent. Composed. Cooperative. Courteous. Educable. Empathetic. Ethical. Fair. Forgiving. Generous. Honest. Humble. Inclusive. Informed. Intuitive. Kind. Modest. Non-judgmental. Open-minded. Patient. Reliable. Respectful. Responsible. Self-disciplined. Supportive. Sympathetic. Transparent.

We believe Jesus lived these positive values. As people of faith, we believe these values are how God wants us to live too.

Therefore, if we are completely dedicated to living a loving, heart-led life we must focus on being love in action by cherishing these values in our every day, moment by moment, behavior.  And, we have the spiritual responsibility to set healthy boundaries by refusing to enable or support the behavior of any politician, government official, religious leader, social acquaintance or family member whose character values go against our own.

People of faith are confronted each moment with opportunities to be love (positive behavior) in action to walk our “God” talk.  What matters is how we answer life’s challenges and our interactions with other people.  Were we an ambassador of love? Would Jesus be proud to call us friend? Did we stay respectful to those who disrespect us? Did we forgive? Did we set strong boundaries to protect ourselves and other people from abuses of power? How did we show up to support life and our fellow human beings? Do we value peace, personal responsibility and stewardship of the home God created for us?

No matter what we face, how great the challenge, or horrible the injustice, the bottom line is how we rise to the occasion. When we choose to be our very best in each meeting with a stranger, each negative situation, each disagreement, we will absolutely create heaven on earth. For ourselves, our children, and our fellow human beings.  The choice to lead with the integrity of Jesus is ours to make.