Jesus is My Homeboy...No Really He is.

      I am probably about to displease quite of few people with this post, but I want to speak the truth..and to be frank I am only worried about pleasing my Savior now. Recently my eyes have been opened to the playful, funny, human side of God and who he created his son Jesus Christ to be...and I may be alone in this, but I have never really felt like this is a concept that is openly and frequently talked about. What we do hear so often from Christians is how much we love our Lord, and I truly have encountered some beautiful people who genuinely adore Christ.. but the factor that these hearts have coincides with truly taking the time to learn the character of Jesus. Jesus came to earth to reveal God to us, he is the heart of God, they are one. Learning the character and personality of this man is not only interesting, it is essential in a solid relationship with him. I feel like the incorrect prioritization of religion and tradition over an intimate relationship and friendship with Christ has deceived us into believing that he is this far-off, judgemental, strict, being that we only call upon in case of an emergency or on specific holidays involving a bunny or a tree..catch my drift?
         The bible provides us with so many interactions with Jesus, and if we take the time to interpret his communication and the way he chooses to respond, a personality begins to make itself apparent to us, and not only that, but one we can relate to. After all, we were created in his image. One of my favorite stories is found in the book of John, and takes place a week or so after Jesus is resurrected from the tomb. His disciples decided to go fishing, and early in the morning Jesus stood on the shore watching them. His disciples did not recognize him because as I can imagine he didnt try to draw much attention to himself or create some big spectacle...not like he had just risen from the dead or anything hahah, anyways he simply called out to them, "Friends, catch anything yet?" They answered no, and he said, "Throw your net to the right side of the boat and you will find some."  When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the overload of fish...thats when it all clicked, "Thats our Lord!!!" Then Jesus told them to bring the fish they caught and have some breakfast. Why do I love this story? Notice how casually Jesus enters the scene, his best friends dont even know its him. This is the resurrected Lord, mind you..ruler of the heavens and earth. This was a HUGE moment, one many people doubted would happen. He could have commanded the attention of the entire world emerging from a firey volcano or something! We all know that in our generation superstars use almost any shock and awe tactic to get noticed. But no, Jesus was a simple man. A humble man. Human. And the man just wanted to have some breakfast with his buddies. Gotta love it.
       Jesus is real, and to experience a friendship with him is a true gift and every human being can experience it. Jesus is so much more than this two-dimensional figure that people believe him to be. Yes, he is loving and compassioante, but he is so much more than just that. I challenge myself and all of you to try and cultivate a genuine friendship with Him and to recognize his playful side..that is the beauty of Christianity..there are always new depths and layers to discover, and this one is so much fun.

Love you all,
Lys.