By: Nina Bueno
WWJD. You’ve probably heard this acronym for the catchy Christian phrase before. You might even still have a plastic wristband with this slogan printed on it that you got at some Christian youth event. I know I do! In elementary or middle school, when the phrase was more popular, it may even have been a regular part of your conversations.
Either way—whether you view the question as totally cringe or cherish it as your personal mission statement—have you ever stopped to really think about what it means? Does anyone actually go around asking “What would Jesus do?” for every decision they make?
As you contemplate that in your own life, let’s take a quick look at what Jesus really would do. What would He do when faced with a life-changing decision? How would He handle a difficult conversation? What would He do when He saw a person in need?
Before Jesus chose His twelve disciples—an extremely important decision that would shape the legacy of His ministry—He went to a mountainside to pray. “According to Luke 6:12 NIV
The Bible shows several examples of what Jesus would do in situations that we can experience in life. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus outlined what we should do when we’re at odds with other people. According to Matthew 5:23-24 NIV, Jesus said, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. ”He also gave counsel on how to treat all types of people, both our friends and enemies, saying, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:12-13 NIV).
Similarly, in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus says, “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (6:27-31 NIV)
Ellen White writes that, “From His earliest years, He [Jesus] was possessed of one purpose: He lived to bless others” (The Desire of Ages, p. 70, emphasis added).
What do we live for? How would our lives change if we acted in accordance with what Jesus would do? What choices would be different? And would we be where we are right now?
These are all huge questions that I’ve personally had to wrestle with recently. I’ve looked back on my life and seen that I didn’t always act like Jesus, even when I thought I had.
In big decisions, I’ve tried to pray and seek God’s will, striving to do what Jesus would do. We often seek advice on the “most important” parts of our lives.
But it was in the small, day-to-day decisions that I found myself getting caught. I wasn’t always focused on what Jesus would do in what I said, how I reacted, how I treated people, even what I thought. These areas seemed too insignificant to garner much attention. And yet, the little, day-to-day decisions add up to become important ones in life. They set the foundation for the big, momentous life decisions. So, I wasn’t truly living to bless others and to do as Jesus would.
As I reflected, I found that I would have changed tons of choices, big and small if I’d truly been determined to live like Jesus and ask WWJD over every small part of my life. And as you reflect, maybe you will see that, too. Like me, you may wish to go back and make those changes, react differently, say something else or make a different choice.
The available option now, however, is to go forward and live differently, just as Jesus told the woman who had sinned, “Go and sin no more” (John 8:11 NKJV). We can’t change the past. But Jesus can change our future if we choose to follow in His footsteps, as we go where He has gone and do what He would do.
We can live like Jesus. You may not need a WWJD bracelet to remind you to live like Jesus every day, but you can hide God’s word in your heart, pray and trust that He will work in you “both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13 NKJV).
We don’t have to ask in regret, “What would Jesus have done?” We can now ask in hope, “What will Jesus do in my life, as I choose to follow Him?”
