by Steve Johnson
Philippians 2:5-11 says something like, "You must have the same attitude that Jesus had. Though he was God, he didn't think equality with God was something to cling to.
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges and took the humble position of a slave; born human, appeared in human form. And he humbled himself in obedience to God even when that obedience meant a criminal’s death on a cross.
Sometimes what we need to do to follow Jesus seems so hard. How we control our emotions, our actions, our very thoughts. But maybe our challenges wouldn't be so hard if we could just maintain the right attitude.
One of my favorite secular books is by Robert Pirsig called "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance". Turns out the book isn't so much about motorcycles. Autobiographical, Robert let's the reader in on a very troubling time in his life when he was fighting for mental health. During that time he took a trip with his son on a Honda and my favorite excerpt is this one, often quoted by one of my best friends and me:
“Can I have a motorcycle when I get old enough?"
"If you take care of it."
"What do you have to do?"
"Lot's of things. You've been watching me."
"Will you show me all of them?"
"Sure."
"Is it hard?"
"Not if you have the right attitudes. It's having the right attitudes that's hard."
"Oh."
After a while I see he is sitting down again. Then he says, "Dad?"
"What?"
"Will I have the right attitudes?"
"I think so," I say. "I don't think that will be any problem at all.”
So, this puts me in the frame of mind to imagine I'm on a ride with my heavenly Father and I ask him if I can be like Jesus when I'm old enough, and He tells me if I walk as He walks, and I say 'what does that mean' and He says 'you've been watching" and I say "yeah, but isn't it hard" and He says, "Not if you have the right attitudes. It's having the right attitudes that hard." and then my heavenly Father goes back to doing what He does until he notices I'm struggling and I ask one more question, "Do you think I can ever do this!" And He says the weirdest thing, "Yeah, no problem. I think you can."
The Lord clearly has a heavenly, other worldly advantage over us. He isn't 'temporary'. Which makes me think if I could just remember, all the time, that I'm not temporary either. He made me to be eternal.
That mindset seems to be a large part of what helped Jesus keep the right attitude. The storm is fierce, the boat is tossed, the disciples are afraid they're going to drown. (read Matthew 8:23-27 aka 'Jesus Calms A Storm') But Jesus sleeps. He knows it's temporary. He knows he's not going to bite the dust by drowning. Another fate awaits him, and after that, glory!
But my storms don't seem so temporary. They are. And most of what I fear never, ever happens. So what's the trick.
Attitude. Having the attitude of Jesus. Easy to say, easy to write hard to do.
So, no, following Jesus isn't hard if I have the right attitudes. It's having the right attitudes that's hard. Maybe it would be a little easier if I'd remember that I'm eternal, too.