Intro Series #1: Start Here!

So what is this “Trying to be like Jesus” website all about? Well, it’s pretty simple. It’s a place for anyone who wants to learn about and become more like Jesus Christ. It can be hard to connect with Jesus on a personal level since He never makes mistakes. I hope to bridge that gap by showing you a more relatable side of Jesus by focusing on the emotions He felt, which is something that we can relate to. I also hope to pass along any practical lessons I learn along the way that relate to the modern world.

I’ve been learning about Jesus my whole life, and I’ve always tried my best to follow Him (although not always successfully). It wasn’t until recently, though, that I had a really cool spiritual experience that prompted me to study Him more deeply. I was at Luminaria (really cool place to go around Christmas time if you’ve never been), and as I looked at the statue of Jesus on the cross, I had this completely overwhelming and consuming feeling that I needed to learn EVERYTHING I possibly could about Him. This is the Savior of the world we’re talking about! Alongside Heavenly Father, He is the NUMBER ONE most import being that has EVER existed!! How can I, or anyone for that matter, be content knowing just the basics about this Man who gave everything for us?? This man who IS everything to us? I wish I could put into words my experience, or even better, make you feel how I felt. That feeling hasn’t left me to this day.

Whether you already have a testimony of Him, or you’re really not sure if He’s even real at all, wouldn’t it make sense to learn everything you possibly can about Him if there’s any chance at all that He really exists? If there’s even the slightest possibility that He really is YOUR personal Savior, don’t you think you should find out? And if you already know, don’t you think you should do everything in your power to learn as much as possible about Him and try to become like Him? I don’t know the exact definition of crazy, but answering “no” to that seems pretty crazy to me. At least I felt like I would have to be crazy to ignore the experience I had and the feelings I continue to have about it.

Ever since that experience, I’ve spent a ton of time learning about Him and studying His life and His character. The more I learn, the more I want to be like Him. And that brings us to why I started this blog. I am trying to be like Jesus, not despite, but because of my imperfections. You could say I have an eternity to go, but I have to try. And along the way, I want to help as many people as I can as they try to be like Jesus. If at all possible, I want to help YOU as you’re trying to be like Jesus, or at least trying to learn about Him to determine if it’s even worth trying (spoiler alert: it is, but don’t take my word for it).

I hope this little intro has inspired you to at least consider putting some focused effort into trying to be like Jesus. I made this blog to help you learn more about Jesus and connect with Him on a personal level, as well as to get practical ideas to help you be more like Him, so please read on. My blog posts are meant to be a study of the scriptures and what we can learn about Jesus Christ through them, but it’s definitely NOT a replacement for a direct scripture study. Make sure to make time for that 🙂 If you choose to keep reading, there isn’t necessarily a linear path from here. If the Spirit inspires you to choose a certain post, go there. If not, choose what piques your interest, or even pick a random one. Above all, just keep trying to be like Jesus!

Full disclosure: I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, but I do NOT represent them in any kind of official capacity. I believe it to be the true Church of Jesus Christ restored in modern times, and as such, I write from that doctrinal perspective to the best of my knowledge. If anything I write does not align with church doctrine, then it is an honest mistake on my part, and you should believe the scripture and prophets, not me 🙂