UNashamed

About ten years ago, a fad swept through Protestant Christendom. Youth from many different churches and denominations began wearing bracelets with the letters WWJD embroidered on it. The acronym stood for “What Would Jesus Do?” Some called the fad childish and lame. Others said it belittled the faith of Christ by transforming the bracelet into a good luck charm or mere fashion accessory. After a time, the fad became the butt of pop culture jokes and eventually faded.

Ten years ago, I was a fifteen-year-old high school student. Though my Biblical knowledge was practically non-existent, I knew that Jesus loved me. I had read the Bible through cover to cover twice, though I understood only about 5% of what I had read. And encouraged by Psalm 119:11, I even hid a few Scripture verses in my heart. (Philippians 4:13, 1 Peter 5:7, 1 John 4:7-8, and others.) There was so much that I did not understand, but even still, I wanted to be a pastor, study the Bible, and share Jesus’s love with others. I was never the type of person who is easily swayed by the crowd, but when the WWJD bracelet fad arrived at the small town of Bainbridge, Georgia, I was hooked.

I recall having two different WWJD bracelets, a black one and a green one, but I did not wear them because everyone else was wearing one. The intent of the bracelet was to have on hand a reminder of the character of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and that is what it meant to me. There were times at school when I saw my classmates do bad things – such as forge their parents’ signatures, cheat on exams, etc. – and whenever I was faced with the temptation to do something wrong or to say something that I would regret, I would look down at my wrist. There, embroidered in white thread, was a gentle whispering: “What would Jesus do?” Then I would close my eyes, say a little prayer to the Lord, and repeat Philippians 4:13 (“I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.“) or one of the other verses I had hidden in my heart.

Only a few years later, at the age of eighteen, I went through a lengthy Bible study series which opened my eyes to many of the wonderful truths and promises of the Word of God. I also discovered that the soft whispering voice that had gently guided me since childhood was actually the Holy Spirit. He brought to my mind the Scripture promises when I needed them the most, and He pricked my heart when I did something wrong. Just as John 14:26 declares: “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

The WWJD fad may seem childish to some, but did not Christ say: “Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein“? (Mark 10:15) Though I may not have had a deep understanding, I did have child-like faith. To me, wearing that WWJD bracelet was an important step in my walk with my Lord and Savior. Today I no longer need the physical bracelet on my wrist, for I have something even better: I have the law of the Lord written on my heart. (Jeremiah 31:33) As Psalm 37:30-31 says: “The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment. The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.”

But every now and then, when facing one of life’s seemingly insurmountable obstacles or a brief moment of temptation, the words “What would Jesus do?” are whispered into my mind by the Holy Spirit, and once again, I am reminded of the loving character of Christ and of His actions towards towards. We truly have an awesome and wonderful God.