Is My Life So Different Than That of A Non-Believer?

In The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis says of Aslan, the magnificent, majestic, self-sacrificing lion: “Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s wild, you know. Not a tame lion.” Lewis’ Aslan is clearly a Christ-like image in the tale. It would not be off-target to say that those words make a lovely description of Jesus, whose love for us is fiercely wild, not tame. After all, Jesus entered into the wilderness of our sinful world, took on all of its dangers, toils, and fears, even to death on a cross, and conquered it all. He came as a light in the darkness, a blazing light, a rushing wind.

Do I experience him in this way? Do I believe that he is who he says he is? If so, does my belief reveal itself in my words and my actions in my daily life? Is my life radically different from the lives of those who do not believe? Do I do my best to imitate Christ in the world? If so, does my life challenge the world’s ways in the light and wisdom of Jesus Christ, or do I find, more often than I want to admit, that I try to fit in, to get along, to go along with it?

As a Christian, it is my deepest desire to follow Jesus, his values, his teachings, and most especially, his example. In doing so, I hope that I will find true happiness, as opposed to fleeting pleasures. It is my hope, too, that my life will be fuller, that I will become more like the person that God wants me to be. But, honestly, I know by experience that following Jesus’ example in this world is not easy. I know this because I know myself, that I am a sinful person who makes a great many mistakes. Doubt and fear are not unfamiliar to me.

I know that I need a Shepherd because of this. I recognize that sometimes pride, ignorance, and selfishness make their presence known in my life, and I stumble off the narrow path. No matter how old I get or how much more experienced in the faith I get, I know that I still need to be shepherded. I need the support of my fellow Christian believers, my community. I need their loving correction and their challenge when I stumble.

I know, too, that I need to seek the wisdom of Jesus in the scriptures continuously, and in the ancient teachings of the Church. I need to take advantage of the resources of spiritual leaders, both present and past. And I know I need to deepen the habit of prayer in my daily life, to regularly spend focused time with Jesus in the silent sanctuary of my own heart. Why? Because the wilderness of the world needs me (us) to imitate the fierce, wild force of love that Jesus modeled to us and commands us here and now. After all is said and done, to truly live as a follower of Jesus in the world is a matter of humility and courage. To do so is to challenge the status quo of the world, which often doesn’t take such challenges kindly.

To tell the truth, I know that I can not do this alone. But the greater truth is that I do not have to do it alone. Jesus has given us his Holy Spirit. When the Spirit came upon the apostles in the upper room on Pentecost, it descended upon them like tongues of fire. That same Holy Spirit was given to us in our Baptisms. When the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles, it changed their lives forever. Have our lives changed? Have we accepted the challenging call of the Holy Spirit to bring that blazing light of Christ, that rushing wind of Jesus’ love, into the darkened world today? Is our faith evident in our lives? Shouldn’t we be ‘different’, that is, radically different than those who do not know or believe in Jesus Christ? How else will we be able to bring others out of the darkness into the light of Christ?

Jesus said, “I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness” (Jn. 12:46). As imitators of Jesus, we are to bring the light of his love into the world of our families, our neighborhoods, and all those we meet today.