People who really know Jesus want to follow him. That may seem like a bold statement, but I think it’s really just logic. I mean, people who really truly know him want to follow him. They love him. How can you not? Unless you don’t really know him that well.
What I’m getting at is the difference between thinking you should follow Jesus, or knowing it’s the right thing to do, and really just having that deep down gut wrenching desire to be in his presence because you know it’s the very best place in the universe. It’s the difference between saying you’re a Christian because you believe in the Bible and because you think the Church just has got it right and not caring what anyone thinks about your faith in Jesus because you love him from your heart.
There’s nothing wrong with believing in the Bible and thinking that despite all its flaws the Church just has got it right. In fact if you are headed where I’m suggesting, I think those things will follow. But what I’m trying to pinpoint is something that if you miss, the other things that people say really may not get you as far as you think. What I’m trying to get at is that being a “Christian” is less about following something you know is right and more about following someone who you have come to truly love. Being a Christian really is about you and Jesus. Anything past that is missing the mark.
Now a case can be made for Christianity having also to do with affecting the world; showing love to others, reaching out to the poor and needy, and sharing the message of God’s love. But the foundation is actually not those things. The foundation is a changed heart through Christ. Uh – oh. That sounded a lot like Christianese jargon. What in the world do we mean when we say things like that?
What a changed heart is all about is the fact that without Christ our hearts are bad. Real bad. Actually more like wicked. But what happens is when we get a glimpse into who really God is by getting to know the person of Jesus Christ, and we begin to really understand God’s love for us, our hearts can’t help but be touched by how great his love truly is.
There are a lot of forces and systems at work trying to prevent you from truly understanding that fact. Systems that want to keep your mind dull, your heart numb and your attitude cynical so that it is very difficult for you to grasp how truly remarkable it is that God loves you. But when the Spirit of God truly breaks through into our dark hearts – a change takes place. A transformation.
That’s the difference between knowing or thinking that the Gospel is true, and really following God from a heart of love and gratitude for who He is and how much He loves you. It’s not that the two are mutually exclusive. It’s that so many Christians choose to live from somewhere they believe they are right versus a deeper version of faith, living from somewhere they are free to really love God.
Do you struggle with wanting to be a Christian? Do you sometimes feel like people who aren’t Christians have it easy or better than Christians? Are you a Christian just because you know it’s the right thing to do? You may be missing out on really knowing someone you are following.
Read: 2 Corinthians 5:17; Matthew 7:21-23; 1 John 4:16-19; Revelation 3:14-22
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2 comments:
This is actually a comment for your Jagdesignideas blog, "Elance or Egency". You ask for our thoughts but there's no where we can post them!
I don't know about you, but I find Elance to be the antithesis to good graphic design. You hit the nail on the head when you said, "the system is set up to cause job posters to inherently focus on the numbers, rather than taking time to investigate each bidder, their background and portfolio."
Elance is doing a disservice to graphic design and I would argue that in the end, the client also suffers. I'm pretty sure that you do graphic design because it is a passion. But that passion comes at a price that you feel is fair for the client. And that passion drives you to give the client the best they deserve.
Elance does not take into consideration anything that I just said. As you found out, your bids aren't cutting it. I guarantee that it isn't your portfolio that's keeping you from securing those projects. It's the money. The professionalism, creativity and effectiveness of your work has no value within the Elance context. What matters is how cheap you cost.
It's not difficult to see the negative repercussions that occur to our profession--our passion. But what happens to the client? To regurgitate a familiar cliche, "you get what you pay for." It is clear that most of the designers that are willing to do the job at a ridiculously low price aren't probably very good ones. And the clients that hire them most likely view graphic design as an incidental rather than a vital strategic business component. So the clients are hurt not only because they receive bad unsuccessful design but also because they are not educated about the importance of good design.
Stick to your guns when it comes to rates. Well, I guess you did since you didn't get any projects from Elance. Smart clients will hire you because you're good, not because you're cheap. And those who only hire based on price are an opportunity for us to educate them about the vital role graphic design plays in their business strategy.
Elance probably started as a good idea. Then again, their model is based on making money, not creating good ideas.
Those are my thoughts, from your fellow graphic designer in Lebanon, PA.
Hey Carlos,
Thanks for your comment, and thanks for the heads up! I didn't even remember that I have comments disabled on my blog. They're enabled now.
Thanks again for your thoughts!
-J
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