As we prepare to kiss 2016 goodbye and welcome in the New Year, exercise and diet commercials abound. Several of us are carrying a few extra pounds away from the holidays and will be looking for ways to leave them behind come January, and many retailers are anxious to help us with this.
Many of these marketers include before and after photos that clearly demonstrate the difference their products make for their constituents. Aside from being out of focus, the before shots depict obese individuals on bad hair days with hideous clothing. The after photos always feature attractive subjects with professional camerawork, makeup and fashionable apparel. The real question, however, relates not to picture quality, haircuts or even appearances, but to how much weight was lost? Before I purchase a product I want to make sure people actually shed pounds using it!
I wonder what our before and after shots for 2016 would look like. If we were to view a photo of us on January 1 and one taken today, I wonder how we would compare? Our annual yearbook photos revealed our changes from Kindergarten through twelfth grade and many parents mark growth charts on children’s birthdays to record their progress.
But I wonder how much we adults have grown and changed this past year? Not in height, or even in weight, but spiritually? Are we becoming more like Jesus or less so? Although salvation occurs the moment we accept God’s grace, becoming like Jesus is a lifelong process that requires our consistent effort and participation.
We should stop to consider if we look more like Jesus today than we did 365 days ago. Does our compassion, grace and mercy bear more resemblance to our Savior now than it did then? Are we becoming more holy in our thoughts by turning from evil and embracing the good? Do our attitudes remind others of our Master and do our actions demonstrate a similarity to His generous serving love?
On his way home from church, a small boy in our congregation recently told his mother he had talked to Jesus that morning. When she found out he was referring to the preacher, she shared this humbling and humorous event with me. Because I preach and lead, this lad had mistaken me for Jesus. What an infinite mistake, but what a high compliment! Although none of us will achieve perfection in this life, becoming like Christ and being mistaken for Him really should be every Christian’s goal, not because of our titles or positions, but because of our actions, attitudes, and thoughts.
Many weight loss schemes are touted by handsome weightlifters and shapely models who promise that the average user of their product can look the same after a brief time. If true, a user’s progress could be evaluated by holding his or her photo up next to the celebrity. While facial shapes and hairstyles might be different, at some point our bodies should begin to show some similarities to theirs. Failure to do so would indicate either a faulty product or improper use; or, as is most often the case, no use as our New Year’s resolutions drop by the wayside.
At the end of even the most rigorous exercise routines, there’s still only one Arnold Schwarzenegger and only one Cindy Crawford. There’s only one Jesus Christ as well, but every one of his followers ought to be looking more and more like him every day as a result of our spiritual exercises of daily prayer, Bible reading, and obedience. Even if our progress is slower than expected, we each ought to act and look more like Jesus on December 31 than we did on January 1.
As we contemplate before and after photos and comparisons to healthy physical standards, let’s work daily to look more like Jesus one year from now than we do today.
Happy New Year! George