DEAR JESUS:

We are always looking for advice. Everyone is aware of Dear Abby letters. In fact, they appear in 100’s of newspapers each day. So I had a thought! How might Jesus respond to a Dear Jesus letter? The following is a Dear Jesus letter with a response Jesus might give.

Dear Jesus:

WOW! What a day I had. Today was absolutely a horrible day. You name it and I experienced it today.  My alarm clock didn’t go off so I was late for work. On my way to work I got a flat tire. Of course it was pouring down rain and my Triple-A card had expired. I got to work 90 minutes late soaking wet. As I settled into to my job I knocked over my coffee cup and cover my entire desk with coffee. It was just my luck that the presentation I needed for a 1:00pm meeting with company executives was ruined. In addition, the flash drive I stored it on was back at my house. I was able to push back my presentation back a couple of days.

 I was so happy when the work day ended. On the drive home I needed to stop at the grocery store for a few items for dinner. As I stood in the 12 items or less line one person in front of me had more than 12 items and another person needed a price check and then had to subtract an item because they didn’t have enough money. I wish people would read the sign and know how much money they bring. All I wanted to do was checkout and go home. Naturally, on the drive from the grocery store to home someone pulls out in front me goes one block slams on their brakes and turns without using their turn signal. If it wasn’t for bad luck I wouldn't have any luck at all. When the day started I didn’t sign up for this.  I am not quite sure You have had a day like this one. How crazy things change. One day is a great day and the next day is like this one.

Take care!

One of Your Followers

Dear One of My Followers:

Thanks for writing. I am so sorry to hear about your horrible day. If you will allow me I would like to describe to you a horrible day I once experienced. By no means do I want to diminish your horrible day or do I want you to think my horrible day compares to what you experienced today. I agree with you about how crazy things change. On a particular Sunday nearly 2,000 years ago I rode triumphantly into a town. People lined the streets cheering and calling my name.  They even laid palm leaves at my feet as I rode on the back of a donkey.  The people treated me like a king. Everyone was so happy to see me. It was a beautiful day. How quickly this changed. A few days later these same people had turned on me. I had just finished eating supper with 12 of my closest friends and I decide to take a walk and spend some time in a garden when I was arrested by Roman soldiers. The real kicker was one of my friends who I had supper with earlier that night decided to help the Roman soldiers arrest me. (Boy, you can never be too cautious when choosing your friends.) Well, they took me to the local judge and he decided to send me off to a guy named Pontius Pilate who would decide if I was guilty or not guilty. He decided I was innocent. In fact he washed his hands of Me. Just when I thought I would be home before morning Mr. Pilate was reminded of a Jewish custom to let one prisoner go during the Passover Feast. So he paraded Me and this murderer named Barabbas out in front of the Jewish crowd that had gathered in front of him. The crowd’s job was to chant the name of the person they wanted to be set free. (I am thinking I got this. Just a few days early this same crowd was cheering and calling out my name. They were so happy to see me.) Wrong! I hear them calling out the murderer’s name. I look over and he is set free and I am to be crucified. The Roman soldiers whisk me away. Wait I am innocent! They take me to this place called a Praetorium. There they spit on me, place a crown of thorns on my head and insulted me. If that wasn’t enough they tie me to a post with me back exposed to them and flog me. (Flogging is where they used this wooden club with many leather laces and on the end of each lace was a metal hook that would grab the flesh of my back and rip it off.) This flogging nearly took my life. Once these Roman soldiers had their fun they made me carry this big wooden beam across my bloody, fleshed torn back to a hill called Calvary. This walk seemed like an eternity. I was in so much pain and the people that lined the streets were yelling at me and spitting on me. When I made it to the top of the hill they laid me on this cross and drove these very large nails into each wrist and then into my ankles. Then they hoisted me up between two other individuals for everyone to see. I am suspended on this cross by three nails. After a few hours of hanging there they offered me some sour wine because I was thirsty. Later they pierced my side with a spear to determine if I was dead.

As I mentioned, I don’t want you to think my horrible day was worse than yours. I just wanted to offer you a little comfort in your moment of self- pity. If it makes you feel any better I never complained once to Mr. Pilate or the Roman soldiers. What good would that do? We all have bad days-Right! Unlike you I signed up for this!

Your God and King,

Jesus

When put into proper perspective. The worse day we may ever experience will never compare to the day Jesus experienced nearly 2,000 years ago. Jesus knew that day was coming. That was his purpose and He never wavered.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you!

Gary