My Childhood Pillar of Faith
Good Enough for Jesus and Us!
image provided by Eric H. Wojtkun
As the gospels tell the story of Jesus living out the acts of our salvation, two great lessons emerge we all need to take to heart. First, Jesus lived the life he calls us to live. Second, Jesus did not say we get to pick and choose what to follow, ignore or be lukewarm on. These are examples of leadership and discipleship we all need to take to heart.
I saw this image of Jesus receiving his baptism at St John the Baptist Cathedral in Savannah, Georgia. Jesus had no need for baptism, but did it as the example of how we are to follow him. The bible is replete with examples such as this. His parents had no need to present him to God, surely did not need to take him to temple to learn from Jewish elders the story of promised salvation, he did not need to celebrate Passover or die on the cross. He did this things because these things are the path we, the fallen children of Adam, need to walk as his disciples to be with him forever in heaven in his adoptive family.
The lesson I saw from this also comes straight from the gospels. Jesus invites us all, tells us to sin no more, and follow the examples of sacramental life he provided. Jesus did forgive the Samaritan woman at the well, and told her to sin no more. Jesus also instructed his disciples to shake the dust off their shoes (an ancient and traditional curse) to whole communities rejecting the message and command to sin no more. Jesus also expressed no remorse for those who rejected his teachings of the Eucharist and the Sermon on the Mount. Even if we are "considering" his teachings and remain lukewarm, Jesus promises to spit us out faster! Finally, Jesus knew to follow him meant we must completely be dead to the sinful aspects of this world, and become this world's ultimate villain.
So the messages become clear. Jesus was a leader who walked the walk he talked. He expects those of us who chose to follow him to jump into the water head to toe, and emerge a new creation. Then as a disciple, we must lead by example others to a life a faith by word and deed. This is a lot to live up to, but the very essence of accepting and living as Christ calls us to.
If it is good enough for Jesus, it must be good enough for us!
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About the Author
Eric Wojtkun is the owner of Capturing His Glory Photography, a part time studio and blog in Roswell, Georgia. Eric’s goal in photography and blogging is to capture and share a bit of the "Glory of God” found inside our daily lives we might otherwise miss. Eric is a committed Catholic, father of five, and husband since 1998 to a wonderful woman who at the heart of our family. Eric travelled the world as a child of a soldier, served as a soldier, married an Army nurse, became a civilian, and now resides in his 17th home. It is his 10th since marrying his wife (poor lady)! He hopes to stay put for a while in Roswell if possible! He and his wife currently hybrid homeschool children at the wonderful Regina Caeli Academy. (Click the link to read about our school please!)
Eric stays involved with his faith community by being the lead organizer for the Regina Caeli Blue Knights Boys Club assists with the Regina Caeli Darebots Robotics Team as a coach, help with the altar servers, and a budding ministry to help fathers grow stronger in the faith. Eric regularly finds himself humbled by wonderful God fearing people he meets, and teach him by example how to love and serve the Lord a little bit better. Eric maintains a blog for both the Blue Knights and Darebots, and you can follow their adventures by clicking the links above.
Eric maintains his personal blog and online photography store at www.capturinghisglory.com. He is available for a limited number of engagements and projects each year. Any purchases from his site result in 10% of the total price being donated to Regina Caeli Academy. Eric also takes custom orders, so if you see something you like not in the store…give him a call! Eric supplies his own photos for his posts,and maintains their copyrights.
