A different kind of Christ follower. (Not this guy)

Dear friend,

I've spent the last several days watching and re-watching The Chosen with another friend of mine. It's good. It pushes me to see old stories in a new way. And I've been thinking about you and I and those we love. Maybe for them, and for us, it's important we see the opportunity for us a little differently.

An example, you ask. The Saint Somebody list in Galatians 5:25-26, that always sounds like a list of "not me" It reads like this, if you don’t have one of those Bible apps yet:

For the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and self-control. There is no law against these things.

Okay-- full disclosure. I’ve always kind of hated this list. Oh, is that your shocked face? Why, you didn’t ask even though I was waiting for you to ask politely for what I thought was the proper length of time before I told you what I was thinking the whole time I was not talking and you were talking about something else? Thank you. Here’s why: This list seems incredibly weak somehow. When I read this list, I get the picture of Russell from Up, trying to get his Assisting the Elderly merit badge. (and if you’ve never seen Up, stop what you’re doing and go watch that movie. It’s so much better. ( I’m talking to you here, in case you didn’t know it. How can you not have seen Up? Did you grow up in a commune in North Korea? Come on.) “Oh but..” Hey, it’s how I feel. If you don’t feel that way, you have three options.You can quit reading, and go write your own letter, or you can bear with me for a while longer. (You’ve borne with me for quite a while, so what’s a few more minutes in the light of all that?) I suppose you could go complain to other people how wrong I am, but I didn’t think you were that religious.

So, back to these verses. Let’s put them on hold. I know, it’s intellectually dishonest to invite you back to something only to tell you “put a pin in it” but first, know that I know this, and second, see the above paragraph. Let’s start looking at this in a different light. To prepare for this, let’s consider for a minute one of my favorite books, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. (If you haven’t read that book in a hot minute, stop reading this and go read that. It’s soooo much better.) But again, perhaps you’re familiar with the story. Aslan, C.S. Lewis' picture of Jesus, is a Lion. Not metaphorically, but a legit straight up lion. (My grandmother found this blasphemous. She couldn’t tolerate the fact that anyone would come up with a portrayal of Jesus as an actual Lion. She told me repeatedly that she was glad to read The Jungle Book over and over again (which turned out to be a story of white superiority and our need to fix people who were different from us-- Grandma, how was that better than anything?) But a book that portrayed Jesus as an actual living breathing Lion? Not a chance. (Before people got all weirded out by Harry Potter, a book that is definitely not about Jesus, there was this hot mess, and many more). I guess Grandma missed that whole “Lion of Judah” thing in her Danish Bible.

What if God is really a Lion? Like, Jesus is a Lion in such a way that all we know about lions are a metaphor for God, instead of God being a metaphor for lions? (See what I did there? New light. If we’re in God’s story, then God is the whole truth and everything else is a dim reflection. Not the other way around. That’s how metaphors work. Look it up. I’ll wait. I could tell you I studied English once, and you should trust me. But I was also pre-med, so you should trust me to take out your spleen. And I was even an education major for a hot minute, but only a fool would trust me to teach them.

Back in point. What if Jesus is a lion? Go grab a piece of paper and a pencil. Seriously. Okay, I know I probably should have mentioned this while you were out doing other errands. But while you’re up, if you’re going by the fridge….. Okay, back? Now, write down as many adjectives (describy words) as you can about lions. Come up with your own list. Then come back and read mine and compare notes. Here’s mine: powerful, relentless, blood thirsty, loud, unstoppable, rippling intensity, furry, driven, family oriented, unrepentant, intense, studious, and cute and cuddly when they’re being held up by Rafiki. (Note here, if you want to look cuter, surround yourself with ugly people, a truth I learned from Say Yes to the Dress.)

Okay, got your list? Now write all these words down in a column on the left side of your paper in random order. (“I should have told you that earlier? You must be new here. Should is a shouldy word, by the way, but more on that another day.) On the other side of the paper, which is technically the right side, but may be the left side if you are directionally opposed, write down the eight fruits of the Spirit from way back in Galatians 5:25-26. Didn’t think we’d ever get back to that? Surprise. Go ahead. Write. I’ll wait. You seem worth waiting for. Or, if it makes you feel better, you seem to be someone for whom the wait is worthwhile. No judgement. If that’s important to you, I get it. It just seems awfully wordy. Finally, drawn lines between the words as it seems to make sense to you, in a way that excites or surprises or frightens you to your core.

Now read through that list, including the adjectives and the fruits, out loud.. What’s your list look like? I’d love to know. Here’s mine: “powerful love, relentless joy, loud peace, patience that shows rippling intensity, blood thirsty kindness, patient goodness, unstoppable gentleness, and family oriented self control. Now that is a Wilderness Scout trip I can get behind. Thanks, God, for the two carat diamond. Because I’m no longer reading a list describing a weak, lukewarm lifestyle. I’m embracing a lifestyle that’s reflective of a roaring Lion. And that is a God I want to follow EVERYWHERE.