Being Still

"Be still and know that I am God."  Psalm 46:10

A day before dislocating my shoulder in June, 2016, I heard God's voice clearly, "Be still."  For weeks before that the message of being still repeatedly came up in Bible verses, songs and just speaking to folks.  I knew without a doubt God wanted me to be still and that dislocated shoulder made me be still.  This happened just a few weeks before hearing that the short documentary, which I had submitted to a film festival was being nominated for an award.  The nomination was a big deal as it could be used as a selling point in raising funds for the film.  But, alas, the production of the documentary had to go on hold.

I was diligently doing my physical therapy when this dislocation occurred.  My physical therapist was very concerned as I was doing really well in my sessions and in my progress.  Consequently, I had to bite the bullet and go to an orthopedic surgeon.  After a couple of tests he discovered that my shoulder socket was worn in the front and so it caused instability in my shoulder.  I had to do surgery.  Being a local missionary with no other income and no health insurance, I had to raise funds for this procedure.  I still am raising funds.  This meant I had to not only be still, but I have to wait.  

I have had to be still physically, because the slightest movement in a certain direction could result in a dislocation.  And, I also have to be still in my soul, so that I am not always anxious as I wait for the surgery while the funds slowly come in.  However, I believe that God is using my stillness and waiting as a period of preparation for the next level He wants to bring me to in Him.  I have had time to ask Him to search me and see if there is any wicked way in me (ref. Psalm 139:23-24) and to create a clean heart and renew a right spirit in me (ref. Psalm 51:10).  I have looked upward as I know I need to look inward and become who God wants me to be.

This season of waiting has been quite fruitful.  I wrote a book, Purpose to the Pain, to help raise funds for the surgery.  But, more important is the fact that while I expounded on the blog entries that comprise this book, I was able to evaluate my life and God's work in me.  I am not where I want to be, but I am definitely not where I used to be, or who I used to be.  God has been transforming me through a series of struggles and my dislocations are no different.  

My arm is in a sling as I wait for Usain Bolt to run in the Olympics

I can now be thankful in extreme pain, knowing that God is still with me and loving me.  My surgery will be in His timing.  The funds will come just when it needs to and when I am not dislocated spiritually.  Slowly but surely, I am getting there.  God does not want me to be spiritually dislocated or else I will not be able to handle what He has purposed me to do.  This period is preparation for a purpose, so I must persevere through the pain.  Therefore, I am still and I wait as God teaches me to be who He wants me to be.  

Would you still follow Jesus if you knew what He really looked like?

For many centuries a number of artists and now filmmakers have portrayed what they think Jesus would look like.  Oftentimes, they have been influenced by their culture and own experiences as they depict Jesus.  In Michelangelo's painting, The Last Judgement on the wall of the Sistine Chapel,  Christ is an under dressed redhead with a thick muscular body and no facial hair.  Really different from, Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary painted by Raphael.  This Christ is a thin brunette with a close cut beard and fully clothed, even though Raphael may have thought less was best for a similar looking Messiah in Resurrection of Christ.  Raphael's Christs have features that are more like Christ in Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper.  While, child prodigy, Akaine, has a short brown haired Prince of Peace with green eyes. Some scientists believe this portrait is accurate as they say it matches the face on the Shroud of Turin.

The many faces of Jesus on Google

But, what does the Bible say that Jesus looks like?  Isaiah wrote centuries before Jesus' birth that He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him. Isaiah 53:2  That means no matter how much I wish He did, Jesus just doesn't look like The Passion of The Christ's Jim Caviezel, and He sure doesn't have the features of Diogo Morgado in Son of God, who some have called the "hot Jesus."  Sorry to burst your bubble folks, but Jesus was not a "hotty" according to Isaiah.  Although, you may say Mary Magdalene swooned at His feet, but it wasn't for His appearance on the outside, instead she was moved by who Jesus is and the power within.

Since we are on the subject of feet.  Let's just stay there for a while and work our way up. John in Revelations describes the Son of God's feet as "burnished bronze."  Jesus will have dark feet when He comes back.  But how were His feet when He came the first time?  He must have had dirty dusty feet.  People didn't go for a pedi back then, even though they trod treacherous trying trails in sandals.  So, hard sore feet were the order of the day.  But Paul and Isaiah pointed out, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"  Consequently, no matter how dusty they were, Jesus' feet were beautiful.


Jesus must have also had some strong legs with all that walking, plus He must have lifted a lot of heavy wood being a carpenter, which would have made him muscular.  His hands would have been calloused from using all those tools at work.  Also, He may have had some meat on His bones to have been without food and water in the desert for 40 days.  

What I haven't been quite able to understand though is how so many artists have made his hair out to be so smooth and long. Since He didn't have all these detangling conditioners, then maybe He used some natural hair products.  But, Jesus was quite busy, so I don't think He would have had time to constantly get His hair done between the healings and the preachings.  His hair must have been battling the elements - wind, dust, rain and the heat.  I wonder if he packed a good comb and brush? If not, He would have some bad hair days with horribly matted dirty hair.  On His return, we can look forward to Him having "hair like wool, as white as snow" as revealed to John.

Coming from the Mediterranean, Jesus may have had dark hair and eyes and an olive complexion.  However, John again described His eyes on His return and He said it is "like fire."

I know that "Cleanliness is next to godliness," is most certainly not in the Bible.   Jesus would never have been godly then, yet we know Him as God.  He would have been dirty a lot, unless He walked with multiple changes of clothes and did laundry often.  Jesus healed with dirt, picked corn, played with kids and had people grabbing His clothing.  He must have sweated a lot with all that walking and may have been smelly as he lacked a good anti-antiperspirant.  

Think about hygiene back when Jesus was on earth.  Toothpaste, floss and regular dentist visits were not the norm.  Cavities and no teeth could very well have been what most people expected to have. 

In Painting a Portrait of Jesus, Bible scholar, D. Moody Smith states, "We are awash in Jesus fiction...the New Testament Gospels contain no reference to Jesus’ appearance, much less a description of him. We don’t know what he looked like."  He missed John's Revelation, but that may be because it refers to the Coming King, rather than when He lived on earth.

Cover of Biblical Archaeology November/December 2010 issue showing the representations of Jesus by two different artists 

Now, with little to go on about Jesus' appearance, would you be willing to follow a Jesus, who may have been smelly and dirty with rotten or broken teeth?  What if He wasn't that attractive, and didn't have the hair, eye or skin color you thought, would you still call Him your God?