Jesus Is
Reflections from Kristina Hoyle on Following Christ
Jesus…Was?
I grew up a PK. For those that did not grow up in church, PKs are preacher’s kids. I was told about Jesus from the time I can remember. Jesus was God’s son. Jesus was a healer. Jesus was a preacher. Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice. Always Jesus was. A past tense Jesus. More than likely this was not always how Jesus was described, but in my child and teen mind, Jesus was. I never doubted that Jesus was born of a virgin—Never thought twice about him living a perfect life. I always believed that He died and rose again. I 100% believed that He did all those things for my sins, but He was still in the past. Looking back now it was like I was in a car and Jesus was standing behind me. I was looking at Him in the rear-view mirror. There were times that I would put the car in drive, and He was still there, but He would get smaller and smaller in that rear view mirror.
I am living, breathing proof of Proverbs 22:6.
“Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it” Proverbs 22:6 (English Standard Version).
Discovering the True Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
When I returned to church, something was missing. I went to Sunday service and worshipped like I had been taught, but something was off. My head knew the Bible. I could quote scripture with the best of them, but something was still missing. Becoming a parent had shaken something in me though. It made me see sacrifice through a new lens. I started to see Jesus as a Son, and I started to see God as a Father. I was raised that God was a strict father, one you approached more with fear than anything, but I now looked at Him differently. He was a loving Father. He wanted good things for me. This was my turning point. God was not in heaven pulling strings and watching our struggles. He was not unapproachable. He knew all of me, and He wanted me. I was no longer unsure of what the missing piece was, and I had no choice but to praise Him.
Psalms 63: 3-4 says,
“Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips will praise You. Thus will I bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name”.
I worship God because I can’t not. It is a must for me. I cannot have a day go by that I don’t express my gratitude for the One that created the world, the One that gave His Son for me. Tears stream and hands are raised because there are times that the magnitude of the things that God has done for me are simply overwhelming. Please understand that life is not a bed of roses, but if God only ever gave me salvation, I would still have reason to praise for the rest of my life.
Jesus Is!
I am happy to say that I do not serve a past tense God. The Bible is no longer in my head, but is applied to my heart. Jesus isn’t in my rear view anymore. He is in the driver’s seat, though I do try to grab the wheel from time to time (old habits die hard). He is with me daily, He never leaves me. My praise seems very underwhelming when you consider the cost, but it is all I have so I will give it forever.
Kristina Hoyle serves on our Link Worship Team while also leading the way in continually welcoming new individuals and families to our Link Family. She and her husband, Drifton, are pictures below along with their children.
