Soft cussing. That’s what he called it. How do we get her to stop soft cussing? He said. What is soft cussing? I asked. In my eyes, any cussing is hard cussing. There is no difference in the words. I suggested praying for her. She said it was in her heart.

Someone else once asked how to compromise and still get everything they wanted. Oh. They realized that compromise means giving up of some things, but they still wanted it all. They wanted their way. Period. But they also wanted the other person to feel like they were winning, too. When they weren’t.

I know someone who gets really annoyed with her husband’s habits. He thinks only of himself. He’s disrespectful. It’s frustrating. It’s annoying. She wonders how she can live like this until death us do part. Because that seems like a really, really long time. As in forever. But she made a vow.

A co-worker turned in his two week notice. He’s moving on to greener pastures. That’s what he thinks. That’s what he hopes. The thing is. He hasn’t been a stellar employee. He’s used company time and resources to complete schoolwork. He appears to spend more time on social media than he does on work assignments. He got drunk on a business trip with the big boss and spilled the beans about his new job offer. After talking with other co-workers, it seems that no one is sorry to see him go.

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Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2

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How can we who are made in the image of God be so unlike him? Especially when some of us have said we are his followers. Oh.  Everyone is made in God’s image. We are his mirror image. But the heart is nothing like his until we change our behavior to match his.

I want to say it’s trial and error, but it isn’t. It’s a conscience, deliberate daily choice to live as Christ would.  Oh. He had his moments. Angry at others for breaking the Sabbath. Calling out sins in public. But he walked and talked with those sinners. He invited himself to the dishonest tax man’s house and ate with him. And in all of it, he didn’t sin. With all the temptation surrounding him, he kept his eye on the prize. His calling was an eternal gift that he surrendered to. 

Oh. He walked right into that temple. Through the crowds selling goods where they weren’t supposed to be doing business. He was so mad, he could have spit nails. Instead he ended up nailed to a cross. Between thieves. He half walked half crawled up the hill with a crown of thorns on his head.  He was so emptied of blood that someone else had to carry his cross. But in that act alone, he covered my sin and shame with his blood. Those nail prints and shed blood were his sacrifice for my human acts of disobedience. Do I so easily disregard his sacrifice when I am made in his same image?

Perhaps I need to shine that mirror so his image is clearly seen. Instead of streaks of personal opinion, greed, slothful behavior and disregard for others, I want to see his image looking back at me in that mirror. Is it really possible? How much will I have to clean up my act in order to see him through that mirror?

Can I not do the same as him? Can I not keep my eye on the eternal prize that has been offered to me?  Can I not treat others as I would want to be treated?

We have a real opportunity to influence, if our lives model what it means to follow Jesus with our words, attitudes and actions. –Luke Greenwood