Day Five
We spend so many of our days trying to be someone else.
When we’re young we spend a lot of playtime emulating our heroes, either from the ball field or the big screen. We model ourselves after the athletes and superstars to whom we look up, and we hope that one day we can be like them.
When we’re older we may no longer imitate celebrities, but we are still so often trying to be someone else. We push ourselves to present the image we think others want to see, whether they’re our supervisors, colleagues, or friends. We can even try hard to be different for our spouse, and if we’re truly honest with ourselves we are often attempting to be the version of ourselves we see in our heads, the one we approve of, the one we like better. For so many of us, so much time and energy in our lives is spent seeking to be another person.
Deep down inside we know something’s wrong. Deep down we feel the need to be different, to experience a change so profound it affects our very identity. The problem is, every single image or model we look to in this world will ultimately fail us in that quest. Tragically, we are now finding that to be true even for many leaders of the church to whom we look up and with whom we want to identify.
The invitation to us, at all times but in a particular way during Lent, is to set aside any desire to be like anyone other than Jesus. As Paul says in Ephesians:
“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”—Ephesians 5:1 (ESV)
Our desire should echo John the Baptist, who said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30) What John meant for the outer, earthly world we seek for the inner, personal world. We yield to Christ, dying to self, and find that by the power of the Holy Spirit we become more like him. Paul paints a beautiful picture of this in 2 Corinthians:
“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”—2 Corinthians 3:18
During Lent this quest to emulate Jesus takes on a profound dimension as we ponder his self-sacrificing love. What we discover is that being like Christ is not just about choosing actions that emulate him, it’s about rooting our identity so deeply in him that his life begins manifesting in ours. And when that happens, we become the truest version of ourselves, because we are living as we were created to be.
Oh Lord
Change me like only You can
Here with my heart in Your hands
Father, I pray
Make me more like Jesus
Read the rest of the lyrics here.
Questions for Reflection
1) Who in your life has modeled the life of Jesus well for you? Spend some time in gratitude to God for people who have demonstrated the fruit of love, patience, forgiveness, love for God, and other qualities that are worthy of being desired.
2) How do you understand what it means to “be like Jesus?” What are some of the healthy ways you’ve found to pursue that in your life? What are some of the biggest hindrances in that journey for you? How is the Holy Spirit inviting you to seek it at a deeper level as you journey to the cross?
3) When the fishermen Peter and Andrew were invited by Jesus to be his disciples, they immediately dropped their nets to follow him. Entering into the life Jesus has for us sometimes requires us to leave behind parts of ourselves that, while not bad in themselves, are not part of our new identity in him. As you consider prayerfully God’s call to you to draw closer to Christ and be more like him, are there areas in your life he may ask you to hold very loosely and maybe even let go? Spend some time asking God to help you discern what in your life nurtures your life in Christ and what might not.
4) The prayer of this song, adapted from John the Baptist’s words, works really well as a simple breath prayer: spend some moments sitting in silence taking deep breaths, and as you breathe out pray, “Less of me,” then praying “More of you” as you breathe in. Taking time to pray this way during the day can be a wonderful way of re-focusing on Jesus in the midst of everything else life throws at you.
5) Read and reflect on this verse. Let it lead you into prayerful worship and gratitude:
“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”—Ephesians 5:1 (ESV)