Why Can't You Be More Like Jesus?

Why can’t you be more like Jesus?

Tis the Season to be jolly! Someone needs to tell my toddler that! Some days he is happy and other days… well lets just say we have some hard ones. Everyone who knows him though, knows he is such a sweet boy. During this time of year, as we celebrate the Saviors birth I often think of what it would be like to raise Jesus. The perfect child, absolutely perfect. Must be nice, intimidating knowing what he will grow up to be, but nice.

Mary must have thought she had this whole parenting thing figured out, this was a breeze, why does everyone complain so much about their kids? What a joy to be a mother! She probably wanted so many more just like Him, how could she not? He was, after all perfect. Can you imagine her disappointment with the next child?

Can you imagine having been Jesus’ brother or sister? I wonder how many times Mary and Joseph must have said “why can’t you be more like Jesus?” Having an absolutely perfect sibling, and Him being the oldest too, which means the bar was set extremely high in that family. These kids knew exactly who their example was and despite their best efforts (probably gave it a good shot being siblings) they could not find the littlest bit of dirt on Him. He was perfect, and they weren’t and it showed.

Romans 8:17 (NIV): Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

If we are co-heirs with Christ, and proclaim that we are, it will become very obvious to the world that we are not perfect either. We say that we are trying to live up to this standard, this example that Jesus has been, and yet we fall short, just as his earthly brothers and sisters did. Sometimes even within our own churches people will balk at those that are falling short of being like Jesus, as if anyone has achieved this.

The good news is that through Jesus, God gives us another chance, a clean slate. Each time we ask for his forgiveness as we mess up He gives us another chance to be like Jesus.

I like to take this time each year to read through the gospels. Mainly to read the Christmas story and realign my mind with what Christmas is actually about, imagining what it would have been like to be there. Then reading about the life of Jesus, how he treated people, how he preached, taught and lived.

I want to challenge you to study the life of Jesus and ask yourself “Why can’t you be more like Jesus?” or even better, “How can I be more like Jesus today?”