Jesus What Do I Do?
Jesus what do I do is the correct question not what would Jesus do? I’ve never been fond of religious jewelry and trinkets, except for an occasional classic cross. When WWJD became popular, I conceived some value in the phrase as a reminder of what we are to be about, but I didn’t run out and buy a bracelet, coffee mug, or T-shirt. Through the years though, I’ve become less enamored with the phrase. It occurred to me one day that the question, ‘ what would Jesus do?’ wasn’t relational. It was about him, not to him.
Relational not Conceptual
I suppose this may seem like hair splitting, but the power of him is in the relationship, not in the concept. Knowing about him contrasts greatly from knowing him. So I started asking a short little prayer throughout the day, ‘ Jesus what do I do?’ Or simply, ‘speak Lord.’
The question, ‘ Jesus what do I do?’ is a direct question to my Lord and therefore a prayer. After reading the gospels for a month or so, I’ve noticed that when I ask, ‘ Jesus what do I do?’ often specific sayings from Jesus and images from my reading come to mind. The Holy Spirit can use his Word to answer my question.
When I ask,‘ Jesus what do I do?’ he sometimes answers: ‘Give up your pride.’ ‘It isn’t about you, control, winning or getting praise.’ ‘Who is in charge here, you or me?’ ‘Where is your cross?’ Sometimes the answer is simply, ‘believe,’ but probably the most frequent answer is, ‘forgive.’
Asking him this question reminds me of my relationship and prevents me from being excessively focused on religious rites and rules. Matters of opinion get relegated to their proper place, and Jesus stays at the center of my life.
It prevents me from procrastinating on my prayers, and reminds me I can pray anywhere, anytime. I still need regular scheduled prayer time, but this reminds me I can talk to my best friend anytime.
Sometimes the answer convicts me as something I already know to be true, something I have been putting off, and the answer is: ‘do it.’
A Cure for ‘Not Fair’
When I feel my emotions or anger rising, and I ask ‘ Jesus what do I do?’ frequently images of Jesus with Pilate or the crucifixion remind me of the tameness of what I’m asked to endure.
‘ Jesus what do I do?’ does not have a clean little acronym like WWJD, but remembering JWDID interferes with the conversational flow of prayer anyway, so don’t use it.
The earlier post What Would Jesus Do? WWJD – Wrong Question discusses this topic further.
I can only contribute to making the world around me better by becoming better and can become the best by allowing the Lord to do the heavy lifting for me through prayer. If I have a tendency to fall back on blaming my family, church, or government for my woes, this is a good video to watch by Jordan Peterson even though it isn’t from a Christian perspective: prageru.com – fix-yourself.
Of course, with my Lord, fixing myself is not something I have to conquer alone. With the dynamite of prayer, I can blow up what harms me and my neighbors; and build a life of love.
Originally published: Feb 26, 2013
