Whenever someone makes a somewhat mean or sarcastic remark
to my sister Heath, she commonly retorts by saying, “You are making Baby Jesus
cry.”
While traveling through Israel, this statement has come to
mind numerous times. Walking through the four quarters of Jerusalem, I 
wondered
how Jesus would feel about His children being so divided. Seeing the hatred
between the Arabs and the Jews in a country that my Savior walked through, my
heart breaks to see such animosity in a place where Christ came to show God’s
love and peace. Watching people bow down and kiss a rock that Jesus may have
used to feed the 5,000 makes me wonder what they truly worship: Jesus or His
actions.
It seems that we have lost our focus. Instead of looking to
Christ to supply the peace and love He promised in the Bible, we look to our
peers who cannot fill our needs. We become unsatisfied and begin to hate our
brothers because they always disappoint us. We separate ourselves from each
other, and have now divided the very land where Jesus was born. Over and over I
believe we make Baby Jesus cry.
As much as we need to change, I can only control my own
actions. Walking in the places where Jesus lived, I am continually wondering if
my life models His. I am learning that what truly matters is following the words
of Jesus. I need to reflect the love and unity that come through a life in
Christ. While I know this will take a lifetime to accomplish, I am willing to
continually allow Jesus to mold me to look like Him.
