Jesus Take the Wheel: 4 Life Lessons Worth Embracing Today

Two weeks ago, I kicked off my 33rd year, or as Internet culture would call it, my ‘Jesus year.’ At the age of 33, Jesus of Nazareth is believed to not only have accomplished his most important work, but also been betrayed, arrested, and crucified. Now age 33 is described as the year you’re “reborn in some sense. Perhaps a mid-life crisis, perhaps an ego death, perhaps the year where you abandon old ways and start new."

Well, if the last two weeks are any indication, my Jesus year will be very eye-opening and eventful. Right on the heels of 2020, and after an amazing birthday/Valentine’s day weekend, I, like many other Texans, awoke last Monday morning to no power, no heat, and freezing temperatures. Worst of all, my family was left with no real answers about what was happening, who was at fault, or when it would end. While we’re extremely fortunate things have since returned to normal, the dawn of my 33rd year and the events of last week got me thinking, regardless of age or religious leanings, how might our world be different if we let the little Jesus inside each of us take the wheel? How much more love and growth might we experience? How much avoidable suffering and pain might we prevent?

These thoughts led me to 4 stand-out lessons from the life of J.C. that are worth adopting as we each embark upon another month, week, and day in pursuit of our uniquely ordained mission and purpose…

1) Love is Everything. Everything is Love.

If we were to take only one lesson from the legacy of Jesus, it’d be: always respond with love. In fact, I’d argue that if we weren't constantly bombarded by capitalist ideals, incentives, and inequities, we’d quickly realize that true wealth is defined by love, not money. 

So how can we adopt a perpetual principle of love in our daily lives? It’s simple. Live by the Golden Rule. Whether you heard it from the Bible, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, your parents or a school teacher, the fundamental rule remains the same: treat others the way you want to be treated. So how do you want to be treated? For most, we’d like to interact with someone kind, considerate and compassionate. So, in every situation with others, think about how you’d like to be treated and lead by example. Whether it involves listening more, being more considerate, or showing and more readily vocalizing acts of compassion daily, love is a whole mood, vibe, and guiding principle Jesus lived by that our world could use a heck of a lot more of. While we control ourselves, we can’t control other people, so don’t be discouraged if despite treating someone like you want to be treated, they don’t give you the same energy.

2) Be Authentically You

Most of us struggle with a need for approval, whether it’s general approval from others, energy spent wondering what others think, or letting your comparison to others impact how you view yourself. While these issues have plagued humanity since the beginning of time, the recent proliferation of social media has made it even easier to become preoccupied with the opinions of others. What made Jesus unique is while he wanted to be recognized for who he was, he carried himself with an unshakable confidence in his identity, value and role in this world and was not easily discouraged by misunderstanding, disapproval, and outright hatred from others.

What could we achieve if we carried ourselves with the same unshakeable confidence? What more could we accomplish if we ignored our insecurities, naysayers, and self saboteurs and moved with undeniable assurance in who we are as individuals?

3) Allow Your Actions to Speak Louder than Words

The miracles and works of Jesus emphasize one enduring theme: show, don’t just tell.  While words tell who you want to be, actions prove who you really are. So how can we get off our butts, put on our Nikes, and just do it? 

1. Set and regularly review target goals and habits: Before we can get moving forward in any direction, we have to determine where we need to go. Make a to-do list at the start of each week, then cut it down until you’re left with the 4-6 most important tasks you need to complete in the next 24-72 hours. Include at least a few items that are easily achievable and at least one regular action connected to a habit you’re looking to build. One example is waking up a little before your family so you have some time to focus on your energy and well-being before the hustle and bustle of the day starts. Another example is dedicating a predetermined amount of time per day to actively engaging with your kids. Set up a mid-week check-in to monitor your progress and adapt or re-commit as needed. 

2. Tackle the ‘quick wins first’: The best way to build confidence and momentum around the actions you want to take is to stop thinking and start doing. Since all goals and actions aren’t created equal, it’s always smart to start with a few high-value quick wins that can get you moving forward. Remember, progress is a direction not a speed and success is a series of small victories, so start small and celebrate every step, no matter how micro, along the journey.

3. Prune, Baby, Prune: We can’t bear the fruit each of our lives is destined to yield if we’re carrying unnecessary dead weight. This dead weight can come in the form of toxic relationships, insecurities, habits, belongings, destructive mindsets and any other “stuff” we accumulate on our unique life journeys. Just as gardeners must regularly remove unwanted branches from their plants to improve their structure, and direct new, healthy growth, so must we! How much more growth could we experience if we regularly dedicated time for reflection, retrospection, and deliberate removal of the things that are stunting our growth? I’m dedicating February of every year and the 12th of every month to evaluating and purging the habits, belongings, and mindsets that are non-essential and occupying space that could be used to serve new goals, experiences, opportunities and beginnings. When can you set aside time for regular pruning?

4) Look for Opportunities to Serve

Whether you look to Jesus, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, or Gandhi, those remembered for making the most profoundly positive impact on the world lived a life in service to others. Muhammad Ali said it best, “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room on this earth.”  Service is simply defined as, “helping or doing work for someone”. Living a life of service doesn’t have to be grand; it can merely involve seeking opportunities to be a blessing to someone else. Here are a few easy ways to serve others daily. 

1. Serve Your Family: Cook a meal, help out a family member, or engage in another act of service not because it’s your turn or in search of a thank you, but because you can. Start each day seeking to answer one question for those closest to you: “How can I help you today?” 

2. Serve at Work: We often view our jobs as just a way of making a living, but our work is a part of our service to the world. Regardless of whether you’re a lawyer, doctor, entrepreneur, grocery store clerk, or stay-at-home parent, every day your work has a reverberating “butterfly effect” on others. Approach your job as an act of service. Show respect, kindness, and genuine interest in others’ lives outside of work. Encourage, be a sounding board, and seek higher purpose in the work you do by examining why you do it. 

3. Serve Your Community: Find ways to show others they matter and do so with zero expectation of anything in return. Mentor. Donate. Send someone an encouraging note or just smile at someone in passing (smize if you’re wearing a mask). Help someone achieve a goal or promote someone else’s idea or project. In whatever you do, seek to give the gift everyone wants and everyone can afford: kindness. 

Not unlike the last year, an objective analysis of Jesus’s 33rd year reminds us that big things can happen in the span of one year. Leaders can fail, societies can be disrupted, and many lives can be lost; however, on a much brighter note, people can evolve, societies can heal, and the best gift of all can emerge: growth. So, as we close out another week, I encourage us all to embrace a posture of mental, physical, spiritual, and social growth, and if you’re wondering what that practically means, simply consider one question, “What would Jesus do?” 

If you enjoyed this post and would like more information on being intentional with your life, download my free ebook on living your life on purpose and with purpose. Also, check out my posts on value and goal-based living, intentional self-care, childcare and development, and relationships.