From a PRINCE to a FROG

I was changed from a PRINCE to a FROG, and this by a kiss. It may sound like a fairytale run backwards, but it’s not. It describes a real-life transformation I experienced over 35 years ago through Jesus Christ.

At 26 years old I was a PRINCE, a Pompous, Rebellious, Ignoramus, Not Considering Eternity. That year, however, I met (and more than met) Jesus, the Son of God. I became a FROG, one who Fully Relies On God.

As a PRINCE, I was not an especially evil person. I had never committed any crime worthy of even the threat of prison. I had a reputation as a good worker, a pleasant neighbor, and generally a pretty nice guy. No one, including myself, knew how pride-filled I was.

Though I battled low self-esteem, I hid the battle with various masks. It’s a mistake to think that, because we think lowly of ourselves, we do not think too much of ourselves. Indeed, one can think too much of himself quantitatively as well as qualitatively. And I did. As an example, I typically treated others with kindness and deference, not because I viewed them especially worthy of honor, but rather that I hoped they would think well of me.

Though compliant by nature, I had become an accomplished rebel by age 26. I was like the son Jesus spoke of in a parable whose father asked him to go work in the field. This son said, “sure, Dad”, but he never went(MT 21:28). Social scientists call this “passive-aggressive behavior”. It is the behavior of choice for nice rebels.

For years I have been discovering what an ignoramus I was. At 26 I thought I knew plenty, but discovered that I was mistaken about so much and ignorant about much more. I had no clue that my personal struggles were as common as they are. I didn’t know who God was or even who I was. I knew hardly anything about world history, philosophy, theology, psychology and sociology. I had never read more than a few verses of the Bible. I had heard my country’s experience referred to as a “democratic experiment.” I didn’t know then that the Soviet Union, which most Americans feared in that day, was an even younger experiment, an experiment in atheistic communism. I couldn’t even imagine we would all see it collapse within two decades.

I still don’t know much, but I believe a few things with a deep and abiding conviction; and these faith-tenets have profoundly altered the course of my life over the past three decades and offer a remarkable hope for eternity.

Where at 26 I had lived NOT CONSIDERING ETERNITY, I have since lived with eternity on my mind. I discovered that “God has put eternity in our hearts” (Eccl 3:11), and have come to believe that the devil works diligently to keep it out of our minds. There in my mid-twenties, I adopted a radically new and thoroughly biblical orientation to life; I began to “submit to God and resist the devil” (Jas 4:7). I became a FROG – Fully Relying On God.

I choose to rely on God, not myself, not a job, not a nest-egg, neither church nor state, neither professor nor politician. I rely on God to save me, heal me, teach me, lead me, provide for me, and protect me.

Let me tell you about the kiss that wrought this transformation. Psalm 2:12 says, “Kiss the Son lest he be angry with you and you be destroyed in your way . . . blessed are all who take refuge in him” [emphasis mine]. One of the clear claims of Christ was that He was and is the Son of God. He was the Word of God that “became flesh and lived among us” (JN 1). He was the Son who said, “If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father” (JN 14:9). This Son was the “radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being” (HEB 1). He is the One in whom “[dwelt] all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Col 2:9).

The kiss in the second Psalm is metaphorical rather than literal. It is a kiss of the heart, not of the lips. Thus, it is a kiss of devotion and affection. Judas, the betrayer of Jesus, kissed him, but his was a deceptive kiss. Judas kissed with his lips but not with his heart. The kiss which transforms is not deceptive. Though it may be done publicly it is not done essentially for others to see; it is a pure act of devotion between the one who kisses and the Kissed One.

I first kissed Jesus in public. I attended a revival meeting where my heart had been touched by the evangelist’s words and I responded to his plea. It was a very emotional time, for me and for many others. The next day, however, driving to work in a very non-emotional contemplation of my revival-night decision, I kissed the Son again. I told Him that I really wanted to be fully His – not half, not even mostly, but fully His.

My life in Christ has not been blissful, but it has been blessed. The truth is, some of my most painful life experiences have happened in the past three decades. Following Jesus has not been easy. I have endured trials that formed such dark oppressive clouds over my life that the Son’s Light was blocked from me, yet I have lived to see His Light overcome that darkness and shine on me again. I have been despised, rejected, and abandoned. I have been misunderstood, maligned, and marginalized. None of that, however, matters as much as this: I have been accepted, embraced, and found useful to the Master.

If you have not understood my point, let me make it clear. I am glad to be a Christian. And when I suffer as a Christian, I’m grateful to bear His name (1 Pet 4:16). Here in the 21st Century, Jesus is still calling people. His call is simple: “Come, follow Me.” I encourage you to get acquainted with the Son and kiss Him with your heart.