Being Jesus, at Home.
August 29, 2009Why is it so much harder to live like Jesus, at home? I pondered this question as I passed through my neighborhood, on my way home from the grocery store.
I was thinking about one of the kiddos a couple of blocks away who spends quite a bit of time at our house. During the Summer time, he leaves his house when he gets out of bed, and doesn’t really go home until dusk. Half the time, we’re feeding him dinner and giving him basic adult supervision. And at least three times per evening during the school year he rings our doorbell, wanting to play. He’s pretty respectful to my wife and I, but doesn’t play real well with our boys, especially when other friends are visiting. If often find myself frustrated with him, and especially with his lone parent who spends more time with potential mates than with the kids.
Why do I have such a hard time acting like Jesus, at home? When at Church, I get to help people in such circumstances all the time. And I generally do it with a cheerful spirit. When I see single moms, or struggling families, or broken lives, my heart breaks for them. I want to reach out to them, help them, serve them, and hopefully restore them. But when I’m home, it’s a lot harder. Would hypocrite be the operative word? I hope not.
Why do I have such a hard time acting like Jesus, to my family? It’s not just toward the neighbor kid, but toward my family as well. I’m much more gracious with the kids at church than I am with my own kids. I’m much more forgiving with the people at church than I am toward my own wife. And I’m much more generous with the folks at church than I am with the folks in my home.
So what’s the deal, anyway? If you have good answers to any of these questions, I would appreciate your responses. I don’t really know the answer. But I do no that I’m not as much like Jesus as I’d like to be! My most natural self is evident at home, and that’s the hardest place for me to live like Jesus; which means I’ve got a long journey ahead of me, in my pursuit of “Christ-likeness.”
Matt,
If anyone had these answers, they would have written a book and would be rich! I think it is a struggle almost all Christians deal with. With that said, I’ll take a stab at it. If any my answers work, let me know so I can write a book.
1. So often we are concerned about looking our ‘Sunday’ Best, but ignore the other days of the week. Perhaps God would prefer we cuss up a storm on Sunday, but follow Him the other 6 days. Though with you being a minister, that could prove a little more problematic.
2. I find it interesting that an ‘ideal’ Christian family is often viewed as husband/ wife…throw in a few kids..in your case 4 (congrats by the way!)…stay married 50 + years…etc…etc. Then you look at the Bible and one is hard pressed to find a model like that! I don’t think there is a biblical or non-biblical family (though I’m sure most disagree with me). I think there are simply families and they are either obedient and loyal to God at the time He calls them. Or they are not. Not necessarily loyal and obedient all the time, but when they are called, which I think varies.
3. As Christians (as well as other people), we are often fascinated with the beginning and end of life. Beginning, because it so amazing, miraculous, marvelous, etc. Ending because it is mysterious. However, the in between stuff we often view as perhaps just necessary or perhaps even boring. Yet it is the in between part that uses perhaps the most amazing thing of all….God’s Grace!
Well thats my long answer of useless information. Perhaps summing it up as PERCEPTION would be a good word. I find that when I struggle and don’t act like a Christian, my perception is focused around Darren’s World (not Wayne’s World) and certainly not God’s World. Changing my perception can proof helpful. Though often difficult to do.