Once there, they accept requests to be excused if you have certain issues. I could claim I have one of those, but I don’t. I can’t do that. So I sit quietly and — heaven help me — wish I were at work.
Maybe I won’t get put on a jury selection pool; at least I’d be done by lunch. Nope. In the jury selection pool, the attorneys ask questions to see if you’re a “good fit” for this case: Can you be impartial? Have you been impacted by something like this case in a way that would keep you from being fair? How do you feel about people who have been accused of this crime?
It’s obvious the kind of answers that would get me rejected from the jury. All I have to do is lie, tell them what they don’t want to hear, and I’m safe. But I can’t do that. So I answer their questions honestly and sweat.
Someone I know from church is there. When the court takes a lunch break, we commiserate and agree that sometimes following Jesus is a pain in the rear.
And I wonder why I don’t feel that way more.
Jesus’ standards are pretty high. He expects holiness from his people. Holiness as he defines it, not us. And his disciples understood how hard it was going to be. When he told them of the few excuses that would permit divorce, his followers said, “Then it’s better not to marry” (Matt 19:10). Loving your neighbor can get expensive. Loving your enemy can be even more costly; turning the other cheek hurts. But this is the life Jesus has called us to.
The longer we walk with Jesus, the more we should get used to it. But it should still be inconvenient. Being honest when it would be so much simpler to lie. Being patient when we have good reason to be angry. Forgiving when we really want revenge. Paying our taxes. Correcting the cashier. Helping the poor. It really should put us out at times.
So when I spend a lot of time coasting, feeling like this Jesus thing is pretty sweet, I’m probably not doing something right. That means it’s time for some hard reflection. Where am I giving myself a pass? “Normal people don’t do that”, but I’m not supposed to be normal. “I don’t have time for that”, but Jesus said, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). “My family wouldn’t like it if I did that.” But Jesus said, “Anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matt 10:37).
This can be hard. No, it’s going to be hard. Jesus also said, “Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me” (Matt 10:38). I have to die to myself. Suffer for righteousness’ sake. Be willing to lay down my life. Because “whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it” (Matt 10:39).
God, give us strength.
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