Saturday, April 21, 2012

Becoming like Jesus

“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” -- John 17:17

What happens after you first believe? Excitement. A changed attitude. A new sense of peace and purpose.

Then what?

Do you simply go through the motions until the fire in your spirit has dimmed? Do you try to do better? Do you volunteer sometimes? Are you kinder? More compassionate? Less judgmental? Or does even the smallest change seem overwhelming in the daily grind of life?

Jesus prayed to God, asking Him to sanctify those of us who follow Him. What exactly does that mean? How do we become holy when we are all such sinners? It’s a process. A journey. A walk with Jesus as we head toward our heavenly home.

I once waited for that big moment, that changing tide, that miracle that made me into a different person. It never came. I can chuckle about it now but I just thought that one day everything would be different. That I would be different.

And I am. Just not in an instant, or a few days, or even a few years. Because the journey takes a lifetime. And the changes in ourselves are sometimes so gradual that we can’t see them until we take a moment to look back and really see how far we’ve come.

I began to understand a little more of this journey when I finally accepted that Jesus is with me in every moment of every day. Not just the big things. Not just the bad times. But every moment of every day. He guides how I respond to someone who needs compassion. He soothes my own hurt feelings. He calms my anger. He provides for my needs.

As I really began to understand His Presence, I started talking with Him more. I’m not referring to the deep prayers that are part of each and every day. I tell God how beautiful the sunset is. I thank Him for the rain. “Did you see that, God,” I’ll ask. Of course He did. But it’s conversation with my Friend, my Father, my Creator. How awesome is that?

I want to become more and more like Jesus every day. I do that through prayer and reading and studying the Bible. And by talking with God and taking time to listen to what He says. Because He’s right there in every moment of every day, just waiting for us to acknowledge His Presence in our words and our actions.