“You have changed.”
Change happens. We age, grow, learn, and mature. Life brings gifts as well as challenges. Because time passes and life happens, we change.
Do you consider a comment referencing a noticeable change in you to be a compliment or a criticism? I suppose it depends on what the person making the observation views as “different.” We typically don’t want to hear that we are negative, appear older, or perhaps gained a pound or two. However, we don’t mind if we are told we are glowing with positivity, look younger, or are trim and attractive.
How we feel about change has a lot to do with perspective. Change is part of life. Whether we like it or not, we are entering, exiting, or right smack in the middle of change most of the time.
The most important change in my life happened when I was eight-years-old. I asked Jesus Christ to take control of my life, literally take residence in my soul, and be my Lord. My salvation experience marked the beginning of a wonderful journey of transformation. My spirit began the process of putting off selfish desires and taking up the likeness of my Savior. Meeting Jesus changes everything!
“To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:22-24 ESV
If I am candid, I typically am not a big fan of change. Because I enjoy the familiar, predictable, and comfortable, I tend to shy away from the unknown results change brings. There is, however, a process of change that I pray is constant in my life:
“I want to be more like Jesus.”
“A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.” Luke 6:40 ESV
I want to be like my teacher. After fifty-four years of walking with Jesus, one might expect I would have made more progress! As those who know me best will attest, I fail too often. The journey is frequently a two-step-forward/one-step-back exercise. I sincerely desire to take on the attributes, mannerisms, and heart of Jesus Christ, but the battle will continue until I see Jesus face-to-face and His victory is mine. I am forever grateful for His constant forgiveness and eternal love.
If I want to be “more like Jesus,” what does that look like to the world? Jesus summarized it for us in Luke, chapter 10:
“And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27 ESV
“How can I love like Jesus?”
Love and concern for others is a natural result of a growing relationship with Jesus. He ministered to people with compassion and kindness. When I love like Jesus, I act and react like Him. I care enough to touch the leper, love those considered unloveable by the world, and help those in need. Loving like Jesus is expressed as we become His hands and feet in a world of people in need. Our love for others becomes natural, as unconscious as the next beat of our heart.
So, what is the answer to the question, “how do I love others like Jesus?” I allow His love to change me, and I ask Him to love others through me.
My prayer: “Lord, hold my heart close to yours. Teach me how to love others the way you love them. I want to change; I desire complete transformation. Help me embrace the changes necessary to become more like you. Use my life to love people. May You be glorified in every heartbeat. Amen.”
Charlene Miller
Lean into Jesus Ministries
#charlenemillerblogs