Give generously. Love unconditionally. Lift others up. Reach out.
As a Christian, my goal is to be like Jesus and do these things. I fall short, and frankly, I’m quite inconsistent. But I try. So why would a pastor start a blog saying “Stop Trying to be Jesus!”
One of the biggest reasons that keep us from stepping out to serve is the unknown—The what-ifs:
- What if someone gets mad at me?
- What if I’m misunderstood?
- What if I tell them about Jesus and I mess it up?
- What if they ask me a question that I can’t answer?
- What if I ruin the relationship?
- What if my mask slips?
Bad news: You’re going to mess up. You’re going to make mistakes. Some of the “what-ifs” above will really happen. But what’s the big deal? Your pride?! Well, stop that!
Jesus didn’t mess up or make mistakes. But “Stop Trying to be Jesus!” Stop trying to be mistake-free and waiting until you have everything figured out. Start trying to be you—an imperfect follower of Christ who cares for others. Don’t let your pride and fear of the unknown keep you from serving others. Step out into a hurting world. Let your light shine for others to see. Don’t try to get everything perfect before you minister to others.
Clarification: I’m not saying that we shouldn’t plan, prepare, practice, etc. We should do these things. But not to the detriment of sharing what God has given us with a world that needs Him—and a world that needs us! The world needs our care and concern. Reach out and connect with neighbors. Ask for prayer requests. Fill needs. Love all you can. Make mistakes and mess up. But be like Jesus as you try to point people to their Heavenly Father. God can use the imperfect you!