Following the WAY of Jesus is not without challenge. It is, however, the means revealed to us by God to help us discover the true meaning and purpose of life. Life does have a meaning!

As I have shared with my readers   before, I believe that the one thing most humans desire, albeit unconsciously, is to know the meaning and purpose of their lives. Life can be very confusing. Without knowing its meaning and purpose leads people to feelings of emptiness and depression.

So how does the Jesus WAY provide us with the meaning and purpose of life? The WAY suggests the meaning of our lives and gives us insights into how we might find that meaning. It clearly tells us that how we treat others, regardless of how they treat us, builds our character and helps us to develop ourselves as spiritual beings. The Jesus WAY helps us to discover that we are, like Jesus, spiritual as well as a physical beings. In recognizing this, the WAY provides us a guide to develop our spiritual selves.

This speaks to the purpose and meaning of this present earthly life. We are here on this earth to develop our spiritual selves – are here to achieve, with God’s help, a closer union with Him. This closer union is achieved by growing in the likeness of God Who manifested this likeness in the Person of Jesus, the Christ.

So the WAY facilitates our becoming, like Jesus, the anointed of God! You will recall that the word Christ means the anointed one. We are all called to gain this anointed status. This is achieved by embracing the Jesus WAY.

You will recall that Jesus did not just believe in God. He made His belief in God real by the way He lived. He truly loved others as He loved Himself. His love for others was not based on their response to Him.   He modeled all of the personal characteristics a person must have if they want to achieve likeness to God, which is the true goal of earthly life.

So where does one start? I think the first step in the process is to do a short self-assessment. Where am I in the process of developing unconditional love and forgiveness? Are there some people in my life that I feel I cannot love or forgive? If I discover this to be true, then that is probably where I should start.

One thing that helps in developing unconditional love and forgiveness is an awareness that all the small things that happen in life are indeed small things when thought of in the context of time and eternity. Remember, don’t sweat the small stuff!