I wanna be just like You, really I do!

I wanna be just like You, Jesus. I think that is a song. Catchy tune you can sing with all your heart. But what does that really mean? I know in my head our goal as Christians is to be like Jesus but my heals are dragging big time.

I am a visual person. I can read in the bible that we are to have the mind of Christ and that we are supposed to walk as He walked but what does that look like. How can I achieve this if I can't see what that means. When the bible says that Jesus had no place to lay His head. OK, I get that. I am VERY attached to my pillow so it couldn't mean to give up my pillow! THEN, God does a big thing in my life and I begin to get a picture. What would it mean if we lost everything? We are not huge on riches but we are very comfortable, so what would we do if we lost this comfort? Could we still we happy? Find the joy that God says we should have?

I have lost a lot in my life. And I still have joy. Yes, I can still be happy if my pillow no longer is mine. Yes, I can still be filled with joy in the midst of loss. Why? Because I am trying to be like Him. I don't have to walk in sandals and go from house to house with no place of my own to be like Him. I just need to be willing to take what life dishes out and still walk with strength, joy and love. Because that is what He did.

I am in a ladies bible study called "Created to be his helpmeet". It has been quite convicting. One of the things it has shown me is that I spend too much time with my own thinking (the author calls it "stinkin thinkin" and not letting Christ be at the throne of my mind. If my thoughts are stinkin then so my life follows. Again, it is a willingness to say "yes" and be willing to walk in the joy and rest of Christ. Can I be happy when I give up my idea's and wants and needs and walk in the selfless shoes of Jesus? Well, after a lot of kicking and struggling I can say "yes!". Since I am visual I have to go through a lot of stuff before I actually see how to do this. Of course it does not just happen overnight. When you build a habit of stinkin thinkin and behavior it takes awhile to retrain yourself. I am in process.

I could go on and on in the area's of my life that I struggle to be like Him. I could feel like such a failure but I have the promise that God finishes what he starts and He will not leave me or forsake me. I can always come to Him with my failures and humble myself before Him and He will pick me up and set me back on the right path.
The only way I know this is reading His promises everyday. Reading about who this Jesus is and how He lived and so how we should live. There is so much, but His promise is that when we come to Him He will give us rest, His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11). He will guide us and let peace and joy consume our life no matter what circumstances we may be in.

Keep looking to Him!

Lori