Christlike Love or Something Else?

For my Christian audience, I really hope that y'all can relate to this question. Have you ever felt confused by what it means to be christlike and to show His love? I recently found myself in this position wondering how I should treat others who maybe don't respect me or treat me kindly. I always clung to the golden rule that says to treat others how you would want to be treated. So time and time again, no matter how rude a person was to me, or how little respect they showed me, I continued to devote a part of myself to them. Almost like killing them with kindness. And I always thought to myself, "I have bad days too, I know Jesus wouldn't treat me cruelly based on this, so I should act in the same way He would." For some of y'all that may look like still hanging out with that person even though they can be mean as snakes. Or it can be as simple as continuing to be a punching bag for that person-hopefully not literally.

I found myself in this situation recently and I really had to wonder, is this truly what it means to be a follower of Christ? I always knew that as believers, we would go through trials and tribulations but does that mean making yourself susceptable to these kinds of acts. I'm still trying to find the balance between giving Christ-like love while also having boundaries. That's the answer I believe Jesus is showing me right now. You can still be kind in the midst of adversity while having boundaries. You don't need to be best friends with everyone. You don't have to make or let yourself be the punching bag. And other believers-I'm warning you. Really think about how we are portraying ourselves as followers of Christ. Because what I was just referring to, was not done by unbelievers. Think about how we are treating one another as a body of Christ. Are we treating each other with love and respect? Are we acting in unison or discord? I'm gonna leave that question right there. I understand that we have bad days and that we can get annoyed at times. But to act with such animosity, I fear there is no excuse for intended acts of hate towards anyone. I don't care if you think you are better than that person or group of people. I don't care if you find that person absolutely repulsing. Does gossiping reflect Christ? Does insulting people reflect Christ? Does acting in pettiness reflect Christ? Take this with a grain of salt.

Now the reason I named this "Christlike Love or Something Else?" is because this doesn't just apply to this dynamic. I want to move onto another dynamic that I have seen. Boy oh boy is this dangerous. "I just have a flirty personality." Miss ma'am and Mr. Sir, let me tell you something. Jesus was very loving but the last thing He was, was flirtatious. Jesus was not a flirter. So many people need to hear that. You cannot flirt your way to heaven. You cannot flirt with someone to get them to heaven. Let me explain what I mean by that. For everyone of you who say, "I can change him," or, "I can change her,"-let me tell you plainly, no you can't. Instead of leading people on, lead them to Christ. I am so tired of hearing this narrative where some believers actually think that if they get romantically involved with a nonbeliever, then they are somehow their savior and truly think that they can change that person. Only God can change people. There is no way that we as believers think that batting our eyes, pursing our lips, puffing our chests, etc, is what is going to lead people to Christ.

I also see this narrative where some believers say, "I just have a flirtatious personality, it's how I was made." Like okay Jessica Rabbit. Last time I checked, your creator was not an elderly man named Gary K. Wolf. Your creator was and is God, Jesus Christ, the King of all kings and Lord of all Lords. And I hate to sound like a doubter, but I'm gonna doubt a little. I think we get so caught up in saying, "I was made this way." Umm no-this is just a characteristic that you adopted and decided was going to be apart of your personality. Best believe, when I came out the womb, I did not wink at the doctor. When I came out the womb, I did not come out with an angry face, swearing at people. I use these examples to urge this question. Why would God give us something that is not of Him? What I mean by that, is that if we are made in His image, would He use characteristics that are not of Him? I think where we get confused is that as we grow older and live more life, we are prone to sin, and we bring on these false identities and simply say, "Welp, we were created this way." So next time you use the saying, "God made me this way," to excuse bad behavior, to excuse gossiping, to excuse anything else that is not of God, know that that is a lie and an incorrect statement. I really don't mean to come across as harsh. But, and this is a huge but; we as believers have a responsibility to be ambassadors for Christ. That goes in every direction. Do we reflect Christ when we harshly talk about one another? Do we reflect Christ when we walk by those who are hurting? Do we reflect Christ when we don't take care of ourselves? Whether that means removing yourself from a situation you are not meant to be in, or simply not being in our word.

In conclusion, we as believers should want to mirror God in everything that we do. But in order to do that, we must know our Creator. Not only is He merciful, He is kind, compassionate. We should also not forget that God seeks justice and that He is righteous in all His ways. He is holy. I'm going to end with this question: If God acted towards us with cruelty every time we were annoying or utterly wrong, in the same ways we can act towards one another, how do you think the gospel would have concluded? If God acted in the same way that we act towards one another, do you think we would have eternal life? Would we have the gift of eternity with Him? So if the one who is above everything; if the one who rules over everything chooses to look at us with grace and mercy, but also with a firm and guiding hand, why do we think we shouldn't act with grace and mercy?