Do We Want to Be Like Jesus?
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We have two sons, but at one time, we were also foster parents.
My husband, a social worker aware of the many caseloads, suggested that we sign up to help meet some of the needs. In most instances, we were the last resort for the children we accepted. Many of the situations were stressful for all of us.
We really tried to treat each child as family and to deal with deficiencies patiently.
One particular teenager (we usually accepted a certain age range) presented challenge after challenge. One thing he persisted in doing was answering our phone in a manner that was totally inappropriate. I was not happy! So I told him not to answer the phone if he was not going to answer it the way we did. His response was, “I do not want to be like y’all.” He eventually ran away but later returned and asked to stay with us again.
This incident comes to mind from time to time whenever I think about what it takes to be like Jesus. We are homeless and just passing through this sinful world.
Jesus is preparing mansions for us (see John 14:2, KJV).
We have many deficiencies (see Romans 3:23).
Jesus does not get stressed out about our problems, though.
His character is love. We are a part of the family of God, so He does not have to try to treat us like family. God sacrificed His Son so that we can spend eternity with Him as part of His family. Yet the question is always there: Do we want to be like Jesus as we pass through this world? Do we want to keep biting our tongues when insulted, smiling when hurt, laughing when humiliated, and heeding biblical admonitions to “be still” and “wait”? Do we want to read His Word to know how to become more and more like Him? He is preparing mansions for us, but would we rather stay here instead of asking Him to change us so we can be ready when He returns? Like the troubled teen, do we tell our Father, “I do not want to be like y’all. I do not want to be like Your Son”? The choice is always ours.
Let us make a good choice!
Sharon M. Thomas
