To Be Like Christ

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.