I've been debating this topic with my friends for the past few days but in truth, it's a subject that's been on my mind for a long time now. What does it mean to be "Christ-like"? So often, I've found that many people think that when they accept Christ, they suddenly transform into this weird, spooky, Bible-toting, scripture quoting robot. Suddenly every problem they have, situation they go through, or emotion they experience gets shoved into a closet as they try to clothe themselves in some funky Christ costume. As a member of the real world, I find this phenomenon beyond frustrating. I admit that I could be the only one that feels this way but, honestly, in the middle of my struggles, the last thing I want is to share my problem with someone that can't relate to what I'm going through. Why do we think that forming a prayer circle, laying on hands or spending an hour digging up every encouraging scripture we can get our hands on is the first thing we need to do when we see our friends going through a hard time? Don't get me wrong, all of things are excellent tools but there has to be more.What I find funny about this whole situation is that if we look to Jesus, we'll discover that His response was the exact opposite. God desired to be with us so much that He made Himself flesh to walk among us. His desire was to know what it was like to be hungry, thirsty and in pain. His experience on Earth gives His Word validation and meaning. Now, when we read that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us, we can believe them because Christ Himself has done all things. He left nothing out of His story. Why then are we anything less than completely transparent about our stories? Maybe the question is why should we be?
In Acts 10:1-11:45, we find the story of Cornelius and Peter. Cornelius was in tough position during this time. He was both a Roman solider and new convert to Christianity. Roman soldiers were posted around Israel to help keep the peace but the people saw them as conquerors, oppressors. Cornelius's family were dedicated to learning about the God of Israel and he was respected by the Jews. Peter, who was sent to Cornelius by God, still had his reservations. He did not hesitate to deliver the Word of God to Cornelius and his family, however, and he was amazed when the Holy Spirit moved through Cornelius's house and filled Cornelius's whole family. This event was significant because Peter was breaking all sorts of rules by even being in Cornelius's house! Cornelius and Peter couldn't have been more different but God's plan included both of them. Each one needed the other in order to discover how God worked. Cornelius learned the way to salvation from Peter and Peter learned that God's plan included everyone from Cornelius. The same is true for us today. Your story could be what helps someone else understand how God works.
The point of this message is this: The scriptures are for me, my life is for someone else. "Being Christ-like" doesn't mean that I glaze over my situation with a pasty smile and an "everything's fine" or that I suddenly stop being me. No matter how hard I try, I'll never be God. My flesh was designed to have the very limitations that keep me from doing so and in fact, it was Lucifer's desire be God that got him kicked out of Heaven. Furthermore, I'll only get discouraged the more I try to abandon me and become His mindless carbon copy. Yes, I am made in His image and yes, I want to be more and more LIKE Him everyday. A better plan would be to put myself in someone else's shoes, show them empathy and compassion and encourage them with the Word of God, validating it with my personal experience. Don't just tell them that everything will be alright, show them how you know and why you believe it. This doesn't mean of course that you go blabbing every detail of your whole life to whomever will listen. You should, however, be real with people when doing so will give them hope to keep going strong for the Lord. Everything about my life loses it's meaning if I give more power to the shame that living it brought me then to the freedom that sharing it would give someone else.
Very interesting, thanks!
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