• As I was driving to work last week, I was listening to a sermon on the radio that got me wondering throughout the day. The pastor was asking his congregation - "what do people see when they spend time with you? Who do they see when they spend time with you?" I thought to myself - what do people see in me? do they see me? do they see a copy of every person out there in the world? or maybe, do they see God's light in me? What do they see? I chewed on this question during my break while I actually did chew on my lunch. I decided that I have been looking at being like Christ WAY WRONG. Being like Christ is way more than memorizing facts about Him, knowing all the commandments, or sticking to all the rules. I asked myself as I drove down the road - am I speaking Christ? Am I loving like Christ? Am I serving like Christ? Am I pointing to the Father like Christ? and if I am - WHY AM I? what exactly is my interior motive? Do I act in such a way that strangers, both believers & non believers, know that I am trying to live a God filled life? Am I actually trying to bring glory to the Father, or am I just trying to look good?
I feel that when we meet new people, we get distracted by: I want them to think I'm nice. I want them to think I'm fun. I want them to think I have a good sense of humor. I want them to think I'm cool. etc. When do we ever think - gosh, I want these people to see Jesus inside of me. ? I'm as guilty as anyone - wanting others to see Jesus in me isn't my first thought when meeting people - but it should be! We should want others to spend time with us and go: woah! She obviously loves Jesus! We should want Jesus to look at us and say: that person obviously loves me! Our actions should speak God's unconditional love, our mouths words of truth & kindness, our hearts filled with grace upon grace upon grace, our souls with the deepest desire to put all those others before yourself! We, as Christians, cannot say that we love Jesus if we don't act it. We cannot say we serve Jesus if our actions cannot prove it. We cannot say Christ is in us when others can't see it - even if they squint. Our actions are so much bigger than our words.
Do we want others to see our sinfulness, our broken selfs? Do we want others to see a person that finds their self worth and identity in copying everyone else? or, do we want others to see threads of a God who has insane goodness, awesome kindness, fantastic love, and indescribable mercy? The last looks so much more appealing when written down _____ might we pray for a desire to arise in us; that folks will see Jesus when they hear us speak? or Jesus' love by our actions. or Jesus' joy sparking in our eyes.
I for one; don't want everyone to see me in me. I am so broken, y'all - messed up and unworthy of anything. I don't want everyone to see others in me - I feel that I would be a poor, poor, POOR imitation. I want everyone to see Jesus. In. Me. I want people to look at me and say, "she's got Jesus in her!" I want people to talk to me and think, "She has joy unspeakable that is FULL of glory for God!" I want to look in the mirror everyday and feel Christ's presence coursing through me. I want to be spilling Jesus in every aspect of my life! For when Christ died, I became dead to my old self - I was made new. I was made Christful *new word alert* _____ Jesus is my new identity. He is my new self. He is IN me. Da' heck, let Him show!!
Show Jesus, show Jesus.
