A friend of mine recently ran for re-election to the local school board. Normally such an election would have very little drama, but not this time. My friend shared with me the struggles he had throughout the election, as he and another incumbent campaigned against a pair of conservative candidates. The campaign got ugly, and both sides lost their cool from time to time. My friend won his bid for re-election, but as we talked about the ugliness of the campaign he told me this:

I will be the first to admit that I am not a very religious man. I have not studied scripture, and haven't devoted my life to it. However, everything I have ever learned about religion is that it is about acceptance, love for your fellow man, and finding an inner peace that will carry you through extremely tough challenges and there is always support from your congregation. Unfortunately, those with the most religious beliefs have been the same who have come at me with the most vitriol, the least acceptance and the most steadfast resistance to compromise.

Here are a few things I have a hard time imagining Jesus doing (WWJND).

-using shame to change people’s minds

-using dehumanizing language towards his enemies

-creating inflexible policies and laws

-creating institutions

-killing someone in self-defense

-littering

-cancelling someone

-falsely accusing someone

-using fear to motivate heart change

-aggressively moving up the corporate ladder at any cost

-trading moral ideals for political power

-judging people according to their beliefs

Here’s a few things I can easily imagine Jesus doing (WWJD):

-taking the role of a servant

-working invisibly to do good to poor, marginalized, outcast people

-enjoying people’s quirkyness

-conversing with a wide variety of people over food and drink

-reminding people, through his own speech and actions, how much God loves them

-forgiving people who unjustly accuse or abuse him

-turning the other cheek when subjected to violence

-treating people as individuals, not as members of a group

-making people laugh

-doing magic tricks for children

-weeping with those who weep

-telling stories that invite pondering and interpretation

-once in a very long while losing his patience

-calling people with diverse backgrounds and ideas into his inner circle

-honoring his mother and father

-loving his enemies

-taking time alone in nature even when he was busy

-judging people by the fruit of their lives

What would be on your two lists? Reading the gospel accounts of Jesus’ life, I’m convinced he invites us all into the more beautiful story that the actions in this second list will write into our lives. Just imagine the difference it would make in the lives of those who don’t follow Him!