A friend recently suggested to me to write an article on the struggle to be Christlike in a secular world. His words to me were:
“I’m struggling to act and behave as the Lord would want me to. All I want to do is swear at people and knock their heads in. I am usually all for forgiving but….argh…I have been forgiving douche bags for three months, I am just finding it hard to act Christianly in a non-Christian environment.”
Human nature
Everyday we are bombarded with opinions and lifestyles that we may not agree with, people act like douche bags towards us because they are having a bad day. Everyday humans put each other down, show no courtesy, go on power trips all because humans can be selfish. My wife Haley will often come back from work and she will be mentally and emotionally exhausted because of how negative her colleagues are.
They offer no constructive criticism toward their employer or complain about how awful their lives are, it’s an environment which lacks encouragement and breeds discontent.
I am sure we have all experienced this at some point, the sapping of energy from someone who is just negative. The struggle to be Christlike is real.
When tragedy strikes
Some of us will also have a story of complete and utter despair. You have just been let go from work, a family member is struggling with illness, you have a loved one who was in a tragic accident and is now on life support, you have lost your child to incurable disease. The struggle to be Christlike is real.
Anger
Life often turns out differently to what we hoped it would be. The constant bombardment or tragic news stories, the mismanagement of our country by our politicians, death and disease surrounds us, the annoyance of other human beings, the complication of relationships and the fragility of life. It can often be too much to bear, the feelings of frustration start to boil from beneath, that frustration can lead to anger and eventually that anger can turn to hate.
We struggle to deal with the injustice of the world and this can cause us to lash out, to want to exact revenge for all the hurt that has been done to us. The struggle to be Christlike is real.
The consequences
For me as a father, the way I act, the way I handle situations is now more important than ever, as I have three little ones who will learn from and copy me. I am an imperfect person, I have made many mistakes, but woe to me if I cause my children to stumble because of my actions. This has become so evident to me as Haley and I have noticed our two year old Chelsea starting to say and copy the things that we do.
I will need to be the example of Christ to my children, so that they may learn from me. This is no easy task, as I too can get pretty fed up with people and situations and often feel the need to lash out.
The answer
I have just come back from a couple of days away with my Year 9 boys on school camp. The very question was asked to me ,“Sir, how do you deal with annoying people? I just want to bash them.”
My answer was somewhat simple. I am able to mostly exist with others because I see them as unique creations designed by God for good works. Imbedded within them are skills and talents that are meant to be used to glorify God and help others. The mere fact that Jesus died for mankind, is a reason to value each other.
Being Christlike is a process, a lifelong journey. Some days we will fall short and others we will hit the mark. We are all broken vessels, but the key to being Christlike is the renewing of our minds each and every single day.
Jarred is an HPE and Mathematics teacher on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, he is married to Haley and has three beautiful children Chelsea, Nathan and Ryan.