As You Are

Recently, I’ve heard these phrases a lot in my life:

“Behold Him [Jesus]”

“See Him [Jesus] rightly”

“Keep your eyes on Him [Jesus]”

And as heartwarming and inspirational as these phrases are, they’re not very helpful. I mean, yes, I’m supposed to behold Jesus, but how do I do that? 

Well, the truth is, I still don’t fully know, but I’m trying. And I’d love to share with you what trying has looked like for me:

1. Go To The Secret Place. 

Throughout the gospels, we see that Jesus continually withdrew to the secret place to spend time with God (Luke 4:42, Luke 5:16, Matthew 14:13), and he commands us to do the same: 

“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you,” (Matthew 6:6, NIV).

What is a secret place? It’s a place free from distraction. A place where your mind can truly be still.

Usually, I do my quiet time in my living, but I decided to get literal with the scriptures this time. I decided to go into my room, close the door, and sit in my closet. My closet is a bit full and I’m not very flexible, so the closet door stayed open and my feet stuck out of the closet, but you know, it’s the heart that counts, so work with me here! 

And guess what I discovered in my little closet? My mind was so much more at ease. Why? Because in my closet, there’s no distractions. There’s not stuff all around me trying to steal my attention. No reminders of what I haven’t done yet, or needed to add to my to-do list. My closet was still, silent, simple.

2. Meditate on Jesus. 

It really is as simple as it sounds. I just meditate on him. Some prompts that have helped me are: 

• Lord, I want to behold You. Help me to behold You.
• Lord, I seek Your face. Help me to see more of You. 
• Lord, if we were together right now, what would we be doing? How would I respond when I see You? How would You respond when You see me? 

Everyone’s experience with this will be different, but here are some things I’ve experienced.

• Nothing, lol. I see nothing, I don’t get a feeling, etc. And guess what? That’s okay! It’s about the discipline of showing up. He sees your heart!
• I’ve seen images of me dancing in the garden with Jesus
• I’ve seen myself running towards God and He wraps me in His arms. It’s the safest hug I’ve ever “experienced.”
• An uncontrollable smile comes across my face. I’m filled with a joy and peace that is unexplainable 

3. I Bring My Sin Before Him.

I learned this from the book, “Practicing the Way” by John Mark Comer. John Mark Comer talks about a spiritual director of his who taught him this principle:

“‘When you sin…don’t hide it from God. Hold it before God, with no excuses, no blame shifting, no denial, just utter vulnerability, and let God love you as you are. And then let God love you into who you have the potential to become,’” (Comer, 50).

I’ve really enjoyed this practice, and I’ve enjoyed doing it after I’ve meditated on who Jesus is, because I’m reminded that no matter who I am or what I’ve done—I am loved.

I have a tendency to get lost in my thoughts sometimes and/or spiral, so I usually say something like: “Lord, You know all the places I’ve fallen short and the places that I’m struggling to stay afloat in. I bring them before You wholly and openly. Lord, forgive me. Lord, renew me.” 

Overall, this new practice of beholding Jesus has done a few things for me: 

1. It’s allowed me to reflect on what time and spaces help me to stay the most focused and connected when spending time with Jesus.
2. As I learn to behold Him, I’m learning new depths of His love.
3. Laying my sin and humanness before God allows me to leave renewed and focused on making the decisions that will help me become who He wants me to be, and not who I used to be.

My encouragement to you is this: take time to behold Jesus. It allows you to see him rightly, to experience new depths of his love. It will leave you changed. 

Works Cited

Comer, John Mark. Practicing the Way: Be with Jesus, Become like Him, Do as He Did. WaterBrook, 2024.