At a time when we are supposed to be focusing on being
grateful for the things we have, I find myself being filled with much
discouragement. As I try to move forward in my life I am being bombarded with
judgments of my character and accusations of being unChristlike. The whole situation
is a bit ironic. The people who are claiming that I am unChristlike are the very
ones who are gossiping openly in public areas where others can hear them and
pass the information on to me. People pass judgment about me and talk behind my
back, never even checking if their information is true. But all this has me
thinking and pondering about what it means to be Christlike. How is that even
defined?
My guess is that some could define Christlike as letting
people live however they want and just accepting them for who they are. I guess Christlike could be defined as letting people walk all over you and never
standing up for yourself because the Bible says to “turn the other cheek.” Christlike to some people may even mean that you never require punishment of another’s
unrighteous behavior because we are required to forgive all men. If I was truly
forgiving then I would forget all that another person did to me and act like
none of it ever happened.
Is this truly what “Christlike” means???
I don’t believe that it is.
If we honestly look at the life of the Savior as recorded in
the New Testament we will see a being who was not afraid to call a spade a
spade. Yes, he loved everyone, regardless of their background or sin. But he
also called everyone to repentance. To the woman caught in adultery he said, “Go
and sin no more.” He didn’t say, “You can keep living in sin. That’s okay. I
love you anyway.” No! He let her know her worth and invited her to become
better than she had been. He loved her but he told her that she had to change!
In order to receive all the blessings that God has for us we must change!
Another great example that Jesus set for us was when he
cleansed the temple from the moneychangers. The people were wrong in what they
were doing and so he did whatever it took to send the message that what they
were doing was sinful and that they should not continue that practice. He was
very clear that their behavior was an abomination and must stop. He didn’t passively
sit by and say, “They will face their judgment in the next life so I don’t need
to do anything about it now.” No! He saw their sin and immediately put an end
to it! How else would they know they must change? How could they correct their
lives before their judgment if they were never told that they were sinning?
Some other things that Jesus taught by example were that
when people are hungry you feed them, when people are hurt you heal them, when
people are mourning you cry with them, when people are scared you pray for them,
and many other great things. One thing often overlooked is that when Jesus
needed a break he went to the mountains and took time for himself. He found
ways to nourish himself. He prayed often. He fasted. He studied the scriptures.
Above all, he sought the will of his Father.
So to me, being Christlike means that I understand what is
right and wrong in God’s eyes, not in my own. To be Christlike means that I
take a stand and not let sin go unchecked. To be Christlike means to see the
great worth in each person and to invite them to change and live up to their
potential. To be Christlike means to look out for other people’s needs and to
make sure to take care of my own needs.
Am I Christlike all the time? No. But I am striving to be.
No one knows what goes on inside of me other than God. No one other than God knows
the thoughts and intents of my heart unless they ask me. No one other than God knows how
extremely painful it is every single day to be me. No one other than God has
the knowledge or the right to judge me because no one other than God has all of
the information. I will do my best each and every day to follow the example of
the Savior and my hope is that during this season of increased love and caring
that people will stop the judging and study up on what it really means to be
Christlike.
