As a Christian, it is immensely important to take time out of my busy life and reflect on the value of my relationship with God. Having been called by God to reach out to my friends and family has also inspired me to prepare myself with a ready-made answer for anyone who asks “Who is Jesus?”. However, despite giving a textbook answer about the Son of God, part of the Trinity, and the one who died for our sins, I would rather give a more personal approach. Thus, I would explain Jesus to said person in a way I believe would be interesting and influential. Here are three things I wish everyone knew about the real Jesus:

1. He accepts you for who you are, sins and flaws alike.

2. He offers eternal life freely.

3. He demands an obedient life.

The first truth is a powerful one. Everyone should know that Jesus wants them. Despite all the mistakes we humans make, it is so powerful to know there is someone in heaven who believes in us and is with us. It is a powerful message to non-Christians, because they are introduced to someone who knows who they are and are okay with it. Imagine hearing you are accepted for who you are for the first time in your life. You’d feel overwhelmed by love. As humans, we have a natural longing for relationships, love, and acceptance. We get so excited when we find friends who care about us. What if someone who saw even the deepest, darkest parts of us still chose to love and be with us? That is what Jesus does. He embraces the prodigal son and celebrates the lost sheep. If only people could understand the depths the love of God has for them, then they could truly find joy in the love of Jesus.

The second thing I wish everyone knew, is Jesus offers us eternal life freely. I remember seeing a cartoon when I was younger about Tom and Jerry. Tom was at the end of his life. In order to get to heaven, and avoid hell, he had to do nice things for Jerry. He gave him the best cheese, was very polite, and even baked him a cake. But no matter what he did, it wasn’t enough to make it to heaven. Imagine how sad it would be if that is the way things work. Luckily, that doesn’t have to be the case. God is the God of relationships. He loves us so dearly He would give up His own Son to be tortured and killed if it meant we could be with Him. We don’t have to live in the constant fear of God not being pleased enough with our works to deny us access to Him. He already wants us to be with Him. Through Jesus, God offers the gift of eternity in Heaven.

Even though Jesus has already chosen us, it is up to us individually to accept the gift. And in accepting this gift, one must allow Jesus to take position as Lord. If we don’t accept that Jesus deserves authority over our lives, than it is impossible to accept the gift of heaven. A simplified illustration of this would be like a child and their parent. A child cannot rely on food, clothing and a home from a parent if they don’t accept that they are the responsible one in their life. Just so, how do we expect to receive the gift of heaven when we don’t acknowledge God is the Lord of all?

The third thing I hope for others to understand is that Jesus demands an obedient life. Now, you may be thinking, this sounds kind of harsh. Jesus wants us to obey Him our entire life? Simply put, yes. Deuteronomy 13:4 says, “It is the Lord your God you must follow, and Him you must revere. Keep His commandments and obey Him; serve Him and hold fast to Him”. But God, (you may ask, as I have,) isn’t it my life to do with what I please? God is the creator of man. He created us. He could have made us worship-crazy robots, but instead gave us freewill. He knew a true love can only be formed through the desire for a relationship. God gave us a choice to love and obey Him. Granted, His plans for our lives are so good and so much better than any future we could pursue (Jeremiah 29:11). (And I can personally attest to this: I suck at living for myself. I make so many mistakes and always end up feeling alone and helpless.) But again, I bring up the illustration of a child and their parent. The parent gives the child rules to follow- not because they want to be a tyrant- but because they want their child to be safe, healthy, and have the best life. Sure, the child might fight against the rules, but in doing so, they are only putting themselves in harms way. Yes, Jesus has commandments. But they are a way for us to live this lifetime to the fullest and to be surrounded by the love of God.

These are the three things I really wish everyone would know. No matter what background you come from or what labels you have put on yourself, these truths still stand for everyone. I know it might seem simple and unsophisticated, especially for a long time Christian like me, but it that doesn’t make it any less important. If you are on the fence about a relationship with Jesus, I’d just like to say… Being in love with God is the best feeling a human can have. Better than spending time with a significant other, better than winning a million dollars, better than any other lifestyle you attempt to pursue.

Is living for God easy? No. But I can promise you…. It’s going to be worth it.