If it weren’t for Jesus, I’d probably sleep later.

Let me explain. I have my time alone with God in the morning. It’s quiet in my apartment (my roommate isn’t up yet), my tea is hot, my breakfast is eaten, and it’s just us—God and me. I love that time of the morning. Those words on the onion-skin-thin pages are old, but they still turn out fresh meaning to me most mornings. But if Jesus had never come to earth and turned society’s ideals upside down, the Bible as we know it wouldn’t even be around, so I wouldn’t feel compelled to read the Word, to dig into His words every morning, to pray and be heard.

But after sleeping in, where would I get up and go? I’d definitely have a different job. I work for LifeWay. My whole line of work is completely pointless without Christ. If Christianity didn’t exist, then neither would the corporation I work for nor building in which I work. There’s no telling where I’d be working. It probably wouldn’t even matter much. I wouldn’t be concerned about making an impact for Christ. Let’s be honest here. I’d just be concerned about climbing the corporate ladder and making as much money as possible.

So at the end of the day, when I left whatever job I was working, maybe, just maybe, I’d have more free time. I wouldn’t be at church three days a week. I’d sleep in on Sundays, like several of my unbelieving friends. The Sabbath would just be another day of the week.

Whom would I hang out with in all that free time? Without the body of Christ, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to meet like-minded people or to mentor that group of high school girls. I wouldn’t have met most of my current friends—our paths simply would have never crossed outside of church.

I’m frightened at just how different my life would be. So much of what I do every day is filtered through my faith (how I dress, where I go, whom I date, what I read, watch, and listen to, etc.). And that’s just my life.

It baffles my mind to think about how the world would be affected if Christianity had never existed. Without the higher purpose in life of living as Jesus taught, our sense of love, justice, and mercy is skewed (or non-existent). So our society would look a lot different. The concept of social justice comes from Christ’s teachings: Jesus elevated the poor’s status (and women’s too!). Our concern for them comes from what He taught.

Yes, our lives and the world would be a lot different had Jesus Christ not come to earth so long ago. But I forget that. I’m from the South. I was raised in the Bible Belt. I definitely take my faith for granted, as it has (thankfully) been a part of me for as long as I can remember.

What aspect of your faith do you need to dust off and reexamine? (How coincidental that Michelle blogged on this theme earlier this week! I wrote this post months ago, but decided last week to post it today.) Have you let some part of your relationship with Jesus or your view of God get stale? It’s easy to get caught up in all the busyness that is ours as we minister to our families, church families, friends, and communities and then forget why we do what we do. And it’s easy to start to think about how much more pleasant our lives might be if we did a little less for the Kingdom.

BUT, Christianity doesn’t make our lives or living in the world easy, but it does make our lives purposeful—in this life and the next. Think about your life. In what ways has Christianity made an impact in your life? How would your life be different if Jesus hadn’t come? Are you grateful for those differences?

Answer our poll (or if you’re feeling wordy, leave us a comment) and let us know how different your life would look if Jesus hadn’t decided to come down here in person 2,000 years ago.