Before following Jesus turned into a religion, it was simply a Way – a way of being, a way of seeing, a way of doing life together with Love as our guide. Before the extra rules, the judgements, and the fabricated fears crept in, there was a little band of followers who had just experienced Love as a Person, walking among them, who were determined to tell everyone, “This is the Way!” And all these years later, as the message has been passed down through human hands and hearts, so many people have lost that original Way and chosen to take a safer route – just tell me the rules and I’ll try to keep them. Give me some pointers on being a good person and I’ll do my best. Jesus’ way isn’t like that – It isn’t a system that makes us feel safe. It can’t be packaged or predicted. It’s much wilder than that. He’s after our hearts, and that’s a messy process. It is a daily connection with this God Who we sometimes feel and sometimes don’t. It’s listening close to how He might be speaking, taking little steps of faith in hopeful directions, experiencing the miraculous sometimes, making a mess of things sometimes, but always knowing we’re headed somewhere beautiful. I like to think of it as barefoot faith. Putting on religion is like wearing shoes when you’re walking through the tall grass of summer. You don’t have to feel much – you’re insulated from the realness of it. But going barefoot gives you the full experience – that childlike freedom, that sense of adventure, that feeling of connection with creation. That’s the kind of faith I want -- the real, whole-hearted kind -- and it’s a choice I get to make every day.
PS: If you're interested in learning more about the Way of Jesus, check out the podcast called, "Practicing the Way."