Returning the Jesus

My bride woke up pretty sick last night. It is always hard to see a loved one not doing well. As I go about my day, it is like half being here. We are together all day, every day, and you'd think we would get tired of each other, but it doesn't happen much. It is still early, and I miss her sitting next to me in the office and typing away on her computer.

As I sit here, I realize she has become for me the body of Christ. Her presence, her encouragement, her listening ear, and her laughter all bring life into my day. In more ways than one she literally is Jesus to me.

It strikes me that ultimately I am missing Jesus in her. And it also strikes me that that is the way it should be in the body of Christ - that we encounter Jesus when we meet, and that we are longing for more of Him when we are apart.

I know that I let the dysfunction of people get in the way of the Jesus in people. I want to be the kind of person that draws the Jesus out of even the most unlovely of folks. I want to call them to their best, not illicit their worst. Maybe I could go even one step farther and actually expect Jesus in them, not like a standard that they should meet, but as a belief in them that is better than their own belief about themselves. And maybe in doing so, I can return the Jesus.