You hear it all the time, “Just be yourself” or “don’t try to be someone you are not.” Self expression is popular. Give a kid a school uniform and she will find a way to make it her own. Uniformity is not seen as a plus. That’s why people talk about solutions being outside the box because staying in the box with all the other people who have done it a certain way before is just old and boring.
None of that is wrong but it is important to remember a few things about being ourselves when it comes to self-expression. But when it comes to our identity, we can’t just be ourselves. Left to ourselves, we are dead in sin. Left to ourselves, we make terrible decisions. Left to ourselves we are helpless. The Bible teaches us that God’s desire for your life is that you become someone you were not before. Don’t just be yourself, be like Jesus.
- Imitate him – 1 Cor 11:1, 1 John 2:6
- Be conformed to his likeness – Rom 8:29, 1 John 4:17
- Be transformed in your mind – Romans 12:1-2
- Have a mind like Jesus – Romans 15:5
- Being made complete in Him – Ephesians3:19
I am so appreciative that God loved us enough to send Jesus to show us how to live. Words on tablets weren’t enough. God expressed himself through the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ. His desire for us is that we follow Him so intimately that we become more and more like Him each and every day. So don’t just be yourself…try to be like Jesus.
