My Friend Joshua (Epilogue)

This is the end of the Joshua series.

If you have missed any of the installments of this series, you will want to read it here (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3).

Epilogue

The ability to look back upon my life and see the paths I've chosen is a capability each of us shares.

When I do look back, I can see the effects of life altering choices. Some of us get stuck dwelling upon the past and things we can't change. Some of us don't look back. And some, I would say the wise ones, look back to learn from their experiences.

This past week, I watched a movie with friends where we knew the outcome of the story before it started. The hero was unjustly persecuted and prosecuted. He was beaten and didn't attempt to defend himself. He did it all to save those he loved, even those who didn't love him. Throughout the movie we would yell out “Stop!” or “Get away!” or even "Why?", knowing that it was pointless. He was going to die.

Telling the story of Joshua is like that for me.

I have no ability to change the outcome of the story. The choices have already been made and I am helpless to control it.

But what if we knew the future? What if we knew years in advance that we would need to sacrifice our life to save someone else? And that doing so would come with the reward of great pain and disappointment.

Would we change the outcome? Would we still stay the course?

Nine years after college, I began to learn the truth of Joshua. People, who knew him well, began to explain who he truly was and why he died.

As I learned more, I began to experience a new freedom that I had never experienced in college, a grace induced freedom.

They used a name different than Joshua. Joshua is an English translation from the Hebrew word “Yahweh”. Yahweh is also translated to “God” or “Jesus”. Jesus being the name most of us use today.

And Joshua didn't die while I was in college; he died close to 2,000 years ago.

He knew he must die. His death was foretold hundreds of years earlier. He spoke with his friends about his death and why he must die, and yet they did not understand. The overwhelming purpose of his death was to repair a broken relationship between our creator and the people created in his own image.

And he could have stopped it at anytime.

He chose instead to demonstrate a love that had never been displayed before, unconditional love.

Despite anything I've ever done. Anything!

Despite the fact that I could get drunk beyond recollection, he still loves me.
Despite the fact that I could exploit others for sexual pleasures, he still loves me.
Despite the fact that I could gossip or take pleasure in the misfortunes of others, he still loves me.
Despite the fact that I could ignore him or deny knowing him, he still loves me.

He loves me even with all my faults! In fact, because of my faults, he loves me!

He has loved me since I was first conceived. He loved me for the 9 months in my mother’s womb, all the years leading up to college and the years since. He loves me the same today as the day he died on the cross so that I could have a life beyond the life I am experiencing while I am still breathing.

And he loves you the exact same way.

He knows everything you have ever done. There is no secret you can hide from him. He was there when you did it and knows when you thought it. And yet, he still loves you, unconditionally.

Are you ready to experience a new freedom, the freedom that comes from grace?

Are you ready to meet my friend Jesus?

Author’s Notes

The story of 'My Friend Joshua' is the combination of events from my youth/college years and examples I've read in the Bible. Combining my story with the story of Jesus, was done to modernize His story into one that each of us could relate to.

If you feel I've misled you, I apologize. Please don’t allow my Joshua story to obscure your vision of Jesus. I am imperfect while He is perfect.

For those of you that are interested, I am including how I experienced Joshua/Jesus in each of the sections of my college years. But before I get there, I need to provide a little background.

While I was in college, I did not have a relationship with Jesus. I had always gone to church but it was an activity, nothing more than that.

When I was growing up, my understanding of being a Christian revolved around rules. The commandments were the rules and if we followed the rules, we would be going to heaven. The God I believed in was rule-based.

The truth is that Christianity is about a relationship. The 'commandments' are boiled down to love God and to love others.

It really is that simple.

College is the defining point for many people in their spiritual walks. The freedoms I explored in college were real and they often lead believers away from their beliefs. I have many friends and family members who I attended church with prior to college who no longer attend or believe in God.

Of course, looking back now, it is easy to see why. I did not understand the relational aspect of being a Christian.

The Joshua story shows that Jesus is around us all the time, regardless of where we are in our faith journey.

Freedom and Physics

• Jesus must have a good laugh when He sees us trying to figure out all the scientific mysteries that He has created. 
• The physics class in question did happen exactly as described minus Joshua. 
• Nobody in the class guessed a number anywhere close to the number of estimated number of leaves. 
• Jesus knows the number of grains of sand on a beach; He certainly knows the precise number of leaves on a tree. Just like He knows everything about us. 
• “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” – Luke 12:7 (NIV) 

Hanging Out 

• There was indeed a girl I knew named Ruth Watt who I met in the hospital while I was in high school. 
• She was a preacher's kid and she had a heart for Jesus that I had never met before. 
• She had the relationship aspect figured out even before I began to know He still lives today. 
• Jesus was always with Ruth, just like He is with all of us, but she demonstrated it in all of her actions. 
• “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” – John 12:34 (NIV) 

The Rescue

• Sadly the story of over-drinking is true as well as the results. 
• Joshua came in the form of a female co-worker who showed up later and came to my rescue. 
• She was also a believer and we never spoke about the incident. 
• And yes, my 'friends' were not happy that she came to my rescue. 
• Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. – Philippians 2:3-4 (NIV) 

Graveyards

• I heard the missionary speak during a youth group meeting. 
• I was truly bored by the evening but surprisingly, it was me that got upset by the graveyard pictures and it was me that confronted the missionary – although without the authority that Joshua did in the story. 
• It was completely out of my nature to speak out the way I did and I truly believe (in retrospect), that I was prompted to speak the truth into the situation. 
• “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” – Matthew 7:1-2 (NIV) 

Relationships

• My difficulty in treating young women with the respect they deserved during my college years is sadly all true. 
• It is hard to explain how Jesus played a part in this one. He was the one asking me in spirit "Is this how you would want to be treated?". 
• It was this prompting that caused me to end a few relationships. 
• This was an area of my life that I struggled with for many more years until I met my wife. 

The Sickness/The Hospital

• These fictional sections were written to honor the sacrifice that was made by Jesus Christ on the Cross. 
• I have always struggled with how the crowds turned so quickly on Jesus. The week before His death, they cheered him into Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!” - John 12:13 (NIV).
• The reasons for why the crowds turned on Jesus are as inexplicable as why students would turn their backs on Joshua and spread the rumors.  Jesus had not done anything other than show acts of compassion and make the controversial declaration that he was the Son of Man.   
• "Hey!  I've seen you on campus with Joshua...".  Jesus predicted His disciple Peter would deny knowing Jesus three times.  One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn't I see you with him in the garden?” Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow. - John 18:26-27 (NIV)
• How many times have I denied knowing Christ? Many times I have not told people I was going to church on Sunday in case they didn't approve or would think less of me. Seeing how easily I cave even today in a 'safe' environment, I understand how the disciple Peter denied knowing Jesus three times. 
• "There was discoloration of his face and arms...". Even while being whipped and nailed to a cross, Jesus did not waiver in His love for the people who were surrounding him. Even the thief on the cross beside Him was promised passage to heaven.

His Death

• Very few people were there when Jesus died.  
• This section of the Joshua story is incomplete as it does not cover the most amazing part of the Jesus story, the fact that He rose from the grave.  
• No other religion has ever claimed this but this was something that was foretold and that Jesus spoke about with His disciples prior to His death.  And He didn't try to stop it.  
• Hundreds of people saw Him after His death, and they were persecuted as a result of it.  
• After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living - 1 Corinthians 15:6 (NIV)

Acknowledgments

This series was an exceptionally long one for me and I'm not sure that I will ever write something this long again.  It seems fitting to acknowledge those that helped to make this happen.

First and foremost, I would like to thank Jesus.  This past year has been an exceptional year of peace even in the midst of storms.  I have learned to recognize and have experienced His unconditional love.  He has also gifted me with writing this past year, something I have always loathed doing.  

Secondly, I would like to thank my editors!  Tanya Peatt, David Bouchard and my wife, Anita.  Tanya is who you can thank for this blog and she will be sharing her amazing story of her testimony on Wandering Thoughts very shortly.  I would never have thought of blogging without her suggestion and encouragement.  David, who recently guest posted (Fields of Grace), jumped in on this project and provided many great suggestions and encouraging words.  And of course, my wonderful wife who not only finds the vast majority of the grammatical errors but also turns my confused ramblings into intelligible thoughts.   

And of course, I would like to thank you.  I have had so many encouraging words sent to me via email, comments on the blogs and responses to the posts on the social media sites.  I read each of them and they definitely help encourage me to continue to be faithful to what I've been called to do.  Thank you for reading and your encouragements!

Many people have asked how I can be so transparent with my experiences.  This may sound corny but it is because of the blood of Jesus that I can be.  He has forgiven me and quite frankly, if He has, I do not need to be ashamed anymore.  I am washed clean.  

If you have read this far, still don't know Jesus the way I've described and want to talk about it, please feel free to contact me here.  I would be happy to show you a little of the unconditional love that has been shown me.  

__________________________________________________

Thank you for taking the time to read one of the many Wandering Thoughts that God has been putting on my heart. If this has touched you in anyway, I would love to hear from you. You can leave a comment below and share your own personal revelations; or send me a personal message on Google+, Facebook or by emailing me.

If you enjoyed this, please sign up here for email updates to never miss another Wandering Thought or share it with a friend.