what you say, do, and allow into your life when surrounded by your closest community of people, is a true reflection of where your heart may be at.
hear me out…
it’s easy to forgive someone when they’ve asked for it, but not so easy to offer that forgiveness when that same person won’t admit their wrongdoing or hurtfulness. or it’s easy to be generous to someone in a room full of people, but not as much of a thought when you’re scrolling through social media and see someone asking for donations, - or not even verbally asking for anything, but you know they would benefit and cherish a random act of kindness.
i can’t pinpoint who or when this was said to me, but when i was a teenager, someone spoke these words over me, and they spoke to my heart. — “you are your truest self when surrounded by your closest friends, or your family”. sounds simple, but those words cut deep. think about it, how much patience do you offer your siblings/spouse? how much gossip or hurtful words do you often spread about your brother/sister? even better, how often do you stand up for them when someone else has words to say? how often do you intentionally pray for your people? for anyone?
it’s very “human” of us to get frustrated. lose our patience. to be quick to speak and slow to listen. to expect kindness in return of our own. but when i look to Jesus in the scriptures, that’s never His heart. He did because it was good. He did because He loved; to be kind, simply to be kind, is a beautiful portrayal of Jesus.
The reason i speak of Jesus specifically, rather than God the Father, is that He was the parts of God we can actively strive to be like. we’ll never have His perfect heart, but we can look to His response, His motives, His love as our guiding light. His empathy is a gift i long for. His “do without reward” attitude, is a beautiful quality i seek out every single day. The way He offered His time and His efforts to literally anyone. That in a room full of adults, you could find Him at the kids’ table, making them feel seen, and heard. How He meets us where we are, not where we think we should be.
i thought about who i am “behind closed doors” - in my safe place, with my safe group of people, and i see a heart that wants to grow beyond human instincts. as a believer, i am called to be set apart. and that simply means, actively seeking the Lord so that even my closest community sees an effort to look more like Jesus, and less like human instinct. if you hear words like “set apart” or “look more like Jesus” and are hearing “being better than others”, you are mishearing me. Even with the best intentions, i will NEVER be better than anybody else. sin runs deep in my veins, and no sin is lesser in God’s eyes. what i mean by looking like Jesus, is to simply respond with His kindness. His love. His compassion, and grace. to be slow to anger, slow to speak, and quick to hear. to be kind because it’s what’s right, not to gain anything in return. to love when others won’t. to be set apart when it’s easy to fit in.
what a gift the bible is to us. a literal outline of what these things mean, and in much greater detail.
i have currently been watching “the chosen” series, and i am convicted, in awe, and inspired by every single episode. i think, if you are in the beginnings of any sort of relationship with Him, this series captures the essence of who Jesus was/is so beautifully.
if you are already walking in His image, i could not recommend this series enough. i think, especially if you have grown up in church, or have been saved for quite some time, it’s easy to forget how God sent Jesus not only to save us from ourselves but to relate in such a deeper and meaningful way. a way we can comprehend. a way that our heads can sort of wrap around. He was human. He got hurt, stumbled His words, felt frustrated sometimes. didn’t have all the answers. felt fear. these are things we don’t always truly grasp, at least not me.
anyway,if you are trying to work on your relationship with Christ, but not necessarily know where to begin, i think something that can quickly tell you where your heart may be at, is to look at who you are when you are around those closest to you, or when you are alone. where your thoughts wander off to. what you say to your people. how you serve people. these are good starting points, and ones i, myself am constantly reassessing and adjusting.