Was jesus zen? (and how to change your life)

 How cool do you suppose Jesus was? I mean, sure, he lost his temper that one time in the temple... but I have to think he was a pretty "zen" dude. Not like an actual Japanese Zen Buddhist, but more the ...peaceful and calm type, with an emphasis on simplicity and intuition. Like, if you can't trust Jesus's intuition, whose can you trust, right?

Anyway, I happened across this little article 'How I Changed My Life, In Four Lines.' It's a quick and easy read, and starts off with this great quote from C.S. Lewis:

‘What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step.’

And, yes, I know it is Jesus who saves... But how do we lean into that? How do we live that?

I believe salvation is about more than just 'where we go when we die.' It has to do with every little thing about our lives. Being saved from bad decisions, a poor diet, financial pitfalls, lousy relationships, and a million other things we all experience.

That's why the 'four lines' from the above linked article jumped out at me. This authors process for changing his life (from exercising, to eating healthier, to getting out of debt, etc) consists of:

1. Start very small.
2. Do only one change at a time.
3. Be present and enjoy the activity (don’t focus on results).
4. Be grateful for every step you take.

 

Certainly one could argue with much of this from a Christian perspective (and I'm sure some people would be more than happy to), and I'm not promoting it as applicable to all situations or that this is the be-all and end-all of life-change strategies. However, what if we applied this to our walk with Christ? Just take a step... and then another step... and another...

It might be worth trying, assuming there is something in your life you'd like to change. Personally, I'm trying to have a better attitude. Just being aware of my thoughts is a big thing. Sometimes I amaze myself at how easy it is to notice a bad thought and intentionally decide to think something more positive. Now if I could just do it a little more often...

So what about you? Anything you need to change in your life? What's one small step you can take right now... ?

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1 Peter 2:21

"This is the kind of life you’ve been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step."