To Follow Or Not To Follow Jesus Christ Religion Essay

To Follow Or Not To Follow Jesus Christ Religion Essay To look beyond what we are today is to look past the shadows of what we have been, past the doubts of what we shall become and into the very truth of the One who was meant to show us the right way. For it is His work that guards our consciousness and it is His preaching that endeavors us to see the brighter side of the world. In order to understand the meaning of our existence, we need to open our souls back to the teachings and sayings of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saved the humankind, as He was the one to revive God in our hearts. We are alive because He has been crucified for our sins. We have learned that He was praised by his followers, but constantly accused by the people of law-the Pharisees, who were blinded by the austerity of rules and did not believe that He is the Son of God. The 21st century has become the era of changing and development, but along with the changes, a lot of people seemed to forget the role of Jesus on the earth. Personally, if I am asked whether to follow Jesus nowadays, my answer would be definitely yes and I do not tend to be cynical or sarcastic about it. The Pharisees did not follow Jesus a long time ago because they were acting like hypocrites, pretending to preach the law and always use it against Jesus. I believe that following Jesus does not mean to chase after the rules. It means that I am being grateful for the life I get to share, for the people who care about me and all the wonderful moments, impo rtant events that will never fade away from my memory. Jesus said: Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matthew 5:12). The words of Jesus enhance my worldview and I want to have confidence in my values, my integrity and the decisions I get to make. Before coming to Lithuania and being part of the Lcc Community, I lived in a world filled up pink butterflies and colorful flowers. At the moment when I decided to leave home and study at Lcc University, I knew my life would change and I was afraid to face that challenge. Being far away from home, living in a completely different environment from your own, I started to perceive things differently. There were times when I craved to stand up and scream, I felt weak and completely not myself, thinking that coming to Lithuania was a huge mistake and it wasnt the right place for me. I did not get along with people and I was convinced that it happened because they couldnt accept me the way I am. Later on though, I understood that my negative attitude was the reason of their behavior. I never paid attention on what people were saying, I was stubborn and didnt look for a compromise, thinking that letting go is the easiest way. Jesus teachings however are the complete opposite of my past judg ment. He says: He who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened (Matthew 7:8). In a way, without realizing it consciously, I was following Jesus because I decided to change that selfish and childish side of me and seek for the better one. His words made me comprehend that everything happens for a reason and even during the times when life seems useless there is always a chance for a new beginning. Jesus had the mission to bring peace, faith and joy in our life, Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28) We are always worried that things might go wrong; troubled by fear and anguish that constantly hardens our souls. Usually when something dreadful happens, one would most probably say There is no way back. Its hopeless to go on and I keep asking myself why we become so weak? Though living in the era of determinism and self control, we cannot always find out what is right and what is wrong. The most important thing is to have faith and understand that some things are simply meant or not meant to be. I can make a lot of mistakes, but I dont want failure to lead me towards desperation or anger. I want to keep following Jesus in my heart and learn from his teachings. Life is a non-ending circle and sometimes is moving way too fast, but if we try to open ourselves to Jesus and listen to His sayings we will find out that there is peace and love around us. Jesus was tortured and humiliated, he died on the cross as a consequence of our sins. Although Jesus knew He would die, it didnt stop Him to show care, love and understanding to people, even to those who were responsible for his suffering. Until His last breath, as it is written in the Bible, Jesus was praying to God saying: Father, forgive them, for they do not now what they are doing (Luke 23:34). Jesus shows compassion and forgiveness to those who wished for His death and this is another thing that we learn from Him- the aptitude to forgive, as he says: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44). Jesus teaches us not to live with the weight of hate or torment, for it will cause us to suffer more. Life is a gift and each second spent on the Earth is blessing .I believe that Jesus can be our salvation when we are lost. He can rescue us, but we should find Him in our heart and unlock the door in which our fear is hidden. Life is beautiful and unique, but it comes with no guarantees and second chances. Thats why we should escape from that circle of frivolity and obscurity that keeps hunting us and do our best to change the world in a better way.