Misjudged

Monday, June 11
Mark 3:20-22  (The Message)
"Jesus came home and, as usual, a crowd gathered - so many making demands on him that there wasn't even time to eat.  His friends heard what was going on and went to rescue him, by force if necessary.  They suspected he was getting carried away with himself.  The religion scholars from Jerusalem came down spreading rumors that he was working black magic: using devil tricks to impress them with spiritual powers."
     It's tough when you get a bum rap from your own friends, family, and supporters.  Or you are accused of being someone or something you aren't, accused of a crime you didn't commit.  Misunderstood and unfairly judged.  It is a lonely feeling.  Jesus must have felt it.  Even his family thought he was just a little....well, off-based?
     But Jesus, both human and divine, could view this judgment from a different perspective: he wasn't worried about pleasing people or unfair opinions from scholars, friends, or even family.  He was centered in God, free to be himself, and to be defined by THAT truth. It was the only truth that really mattered to him.  
     Can we put God at the center of our lives, our prayer, our praise and our play?  To let our life be defined, not by the opinions of others, but by our example of God living in and through us?  Let's give it a try.