4/1/2019  3 Comments (at the bottom of this reflection.)

Today's question:
"Jesus answered, "Will you really lay down your life for me?"

From John 13:
36 Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?”
Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.” 37 Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” 38 Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!
 

Reflection from Anonymous

In the past year, I have contemplated about what it means when Christ says “Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” (Mark 10:39) This verse doesn’t make sense to us. When we finally make it to the top, have security such as marriage or wealth or whatever we deem makes us secure, we may actually lose it. What does it really mean to lay down your life? And then actually gain your life when you lay it down? It's almost as if Christ is talking in riddles, and I have wrestled with these questions.
 
In the last few years, in the world, including the church's eyes, I have lost a lot of my life. As a single mom to three kids, I face the stigma of being single....with three kids. I face other stigmas as well, as do we all in various ways and judgments. As my life has changed considerably, and I have watched it escape from my grasp like sand running through my hands, I have struggled with grasping the meaning of what it means to lose my own life.
 
What if laying down our life for Christ means that we would be considered an outcast, even by the church body? Would we do it? I am always reminded of the Holocaust, and how the church in Germany went along with the ostracizing of a group of people because their beliefs and race were different than those around them. They were considered “other” and “different.” The church at that time, in so holding to the desire to fit in, did nothing. We must give credit to a select few, including Dietrich Bonhoeffer who did stand with the marginalized. However, millions of people died, and many Christians looked on, too afraid of losing their life.
 
In this day and country, we have the freedom to speak and use our voices. We can speak up for those that are considered “other” and “different.” This is what Christ did. If we take a step back and look at Christ’s life, he did the following things:
 
-Stood up to the religious authorities
 
-Overturned the tables and said that what was happening in the houses of prayer was not what God wanted.
 
-Ate with people that were outcasts of society. Hung out with people who the religious crowd said were sinners.
 
-Touched those that were considered untouchable
 
-He always stood for, and with the oppressed, the vulnerable, the outcast, the marginalized and those consider to be on the outskirts of society.
 
The religious people hated him. So much so, that they killed Christ.


As a Christ follower, we often talk about looking more like our Christ. Does this mean that we will all end up looking like each other, if we are more like Christ?
 
Rather, maybe looking like Christ means we are truest to the deepest part of ourselves, willing to let go of security and comfort. Looking like Christ is standing up and standing with the vulnerable, the weak, and the stigmatized, even when it is counter cultural in our towns and churches. This is what Christ did. He did not hold onto security, or status in religion, or approval of others. Maybe, just maybe, this is what Christ means when he speaks of losing our life. As we lose the security, the status and the approval, we will actually find our own life, our own true self, which is hidden in Christ.

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About Today's Author

​Anonymous is a single mom to three. She is currently training to become a Spiritual Director and enjoys living a contemplative lifestyle. Recommended reading: The Gift of Being Yourself: The Sacred Call to Self-Discovery by David Benner

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Mary Brown
Mon, Apr 1, 2019 at 4:45 pm
As a former single parent to four children, I especially appreciate your reflections. Despite my shortcomings and challenges, I have felt the Lord leading me and providing for us. In Matthew 25:40, Jesus says, "What you do unto the least of these, you have done unto me." I believe Jesus not only said these words, but that he feels our actions or in-actions toward others. The church has the opportunity to be Jesus to others including single parents! 

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Pastor Irene Taylor 
Mon, Apr 1, 2019 at 8:38 am
Amen! Amen! and Amen! Thank God for your testimony. It blessed my soul! ​

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Anne Cowin
Mon, Apr 1, 2019 at 7:05 pm
I too raised my capable children, now grown, as a single parent and can relate to your experience. The single parents of today are the widows and the fatherless the Bible refers to. The universal church should look for opportunities to reach out in love to those experiencing isolation. We may be the only Bible that someone else ever reads. If we want to win others for His kingdom, then our actions should reflect whose we are.