Who is the imperfect disciple for Jared C.Wilson author of The Imperfect Disciple Grace for People who can't get their act together published by Baker Books? Substantially someone who is growing up with Jesus although he/she is not perfect, although he/she can be messy or his/her life can be messy. He/she is also someone who believes that after all God has a plan for him/her although he/she can't believe anymore to it.
Mr.Jared doesn't search for perfection and he knows how living this life can means imperfection.
We search for good actions but sometimes we are not ethical, and attracted by badness. In synthesis we are not good people. It's like if we would be dual. But Jesus asks and wants for these people: sinners.
People who perennially fight against the badness and evil temptations in a daily base. I's simple to fall. Evil is hidden behind a beautiful angel adds Wilson.
Some indications were left by Jesus for all of us. Who are the most Blessed people?
Well, Jesus explains everything in the Sermon of the Mount, where he clarifies to everyone what it means to live a good and complete blessed life.
He says:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed at the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness'sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account."
It was another Scripture this one truly loved by my beloved priest Marino. He stayed with us for 63 years and every morning he picked up this scripture for the daily mass dedicated at the Dead ones.
These people portrayed here are the luckiest ones of this world for Jesus.
They are persecuted, after all they're not successful people but Jesus, first of all search for them.
Maybe He also search for them for trying to let show to the rest of people the world with the eyes of these people. Seeing the world with the glasses of these people is wonderful.
Sure no one wants to see around people like these ones assures the author making various example. We don't search for them in press conferences, we don't want to hear their opinion because they're border-line, they're losers.
But...This world needs the real Jesus so badly affirms the author and so each of us should follow these Beatitudes.
Jesus promised to help the most stressed people in this world.
But where to start?
First of all we could start to be similar to Him.
Jesus was a revolutionary for his time and his thoughts immensely important and young also for our culture.
And then...
Go out observing the world.
The author speaks of his daughter.
Once she found him peacefully sat. He enjoyed to seeing people and observing the world in a public space.
He wasn't reading anything on his smartphone. The smart phone wasn't around.
What it was important in that moment was enjoying the moment, being there, looking at people, looking at the life close to him and that was what it mattered the most.
The author thinks that we are too occupied with little things.
Jobs will make people holy but we must also remember that we are not holy for what we have done but because of what Jesus has done remarks Wilson.
Jesus is not distant from us. We are not his servants, but substantially men and women who follow His word and his example being sinners trying to do the best.
The author then analyzes his readers. Most of these people live in a big city.
Sure: where we live and how we live it says a lot about us, our way of living our life-style, work, friendships and so on.
Living in a city in general let us introduce another word: "Self." We work and we establish first of all a big connection with ourselves, and it becomes like if we would be trapped by society and its values and standards of living.
Reading what it writes Mr Wilson is like to listening the Sunday sermon of my priest Bruno: we give to Lord and Jesus the time we think we should give Him but priorities are others. Cars, work, family, friends, hobbies.
It's a story of society and of course our addiction to all the things it offers us for making us happy.
Reading the Bible in a daily base will be helpful for keeping Christ and not us at the center of the Universe.
It's important to give voice to God and to hearing His voice and so to trying to find some places where for some minutes we can rest and meditate about the Scripture or just for praying establishing a contact with Him.
It is also true that at the end praying everyday is seeing like a sort of obligation but as also adds the author what it is important to do is to speak clearly to God trying to understand thanks to Him what it is going on in our life.
The author suggests various prayers.
Mr.Wilson suggests also the importance of being part of the Church's community where we live in revealing us at some point the nine irrefutable laws of Followship adding also to becoming who you are.
Highly recommended.
I thank Baker Books Bloggers for the physical copy of this book.
Anna Maria Polidori
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