what does Christ look like?

 "...And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8 (NIV)

For quite some time I’ve struggled with the idea of what a true Christian life looks like. I have no idea. I’m stumped. Flabbergasted, even. I mean, I think I have an idea, but I’m not 100% convinced it’s the way Christ has called us to live. And it’s not because of a lack of trying. I’ve read the King James Version of the Bible (both in its present form and the 1611 version), the New International Version, the Revised Standard Edition, and the list goes on and on. I’ve attended so many denominations of Christian churches, that I’ve lost count. I’ve lived on three continents, spoken with people in two languages, seen some of the world’s most extravagant homes and some of it’s worst shacks, but I still struggle with the basic, elemental question of my faith: How am I supposed to live?

I mean I should know, right? I was raised in a Christian home with parents who made sure I was in church every week, if not two or three times a week. I attended private, nondenominational Christian schools from the time I was 5 years old until I graduated high school. The majority of my friends and family growing up were “Christians.” Yet, I’m still lost on what a Christian life truly looks like. Everyone seems to know what the Christian life looks like, what the Bible means and how it applies to your life, yet for some reason, I don’t. (And while I’m at this point, let me back up and preface this entire monologue with the fact that I mean no harm or disrespect to anyone’s faith or beliefs. I’m only sorting out my own thoughts.)

Maybe that’s it; I’ve yet to find my own understanding of Christianity. I’ve been incredibly blessed to live the life I have thus far. I wouldn’t trade my experiences for anything in the world. Not for a second. Yet for all of my “integration” and “understanding” of the Christian faith, I can’t say that I’ve met that many true Christians. Oh, I’ve met a few to be sure. But more often than not, I always seem to be disappointed by some aspect of someone’s life. Just when I think just maybe this person is truly living a life above and beyond the norm, they say or do something that ends that thought. They’re a disappointment and I move on. And maybe that’s just the point. That’s where my problem lies. Christ spent his ministry loving those who needed to be loved and rebuking those who needed to hear it. (It’s interesting to note that a majority of the people he rebuked were not the prostitutes, tax collectors or thieves, but the so-called “church-going, law-abiding” folks.) If you look throughout the New Testament, Christ is always quick to listen and slow to speak. Take a look. If you look at Christ’s actions, not his words, just the verbs, what Christ did, you’ll find that he almost always listened first, then spoke or acted. He took people for where they were and went with that. He didn’t try to make them into a super Christian overnight. Oh, he called for conversion no doubt, but it was a process. He didn’t say “Drop everything, follow me, and all will be well.” He said, “Drop everything and follow me.” That’s a subtle, but crucial difference: one implies a destination, another implies a journey. And I think that’s what I forget often. Christianity is not a destination, but a journey. Just like anything in life, there is always room for improvement, perfection. It’s not going to be a smooth ride. Life is messy and no one comes out of it clean and unscathed. No one is going to be perfect or lead the true Christian life. So instead of looking for it in humanity, which is inherently imperfect, maybe I need to follow the only example of a perfect life.

A few weeks ago I started reading a book of short stories about African children. Most were about children living in squalor in a slum or in a deserted housing project. But what most caught my attention was not the stories, but what came before them. At the beginning of the book I found the following text from the Bible: “…And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)” That short, but oh so sweet, verse is exactly what I’ve been looking for as a model to base my life off of. It covers everything. Act justly. Don’t harm your fellow man, follow the ‘golden rule,’ etc. Love mercy. Love. I like how that’s the first word. It’s important. As humans we need it. But not just love; love mercy. Be kind to one another. And walk humbly with your God. I find this to be the most important for me. Too many times I find myself annoyed by “Christians” who just know everything. But to serve anyone, including those who annoy me most, I must be humble.

This isn’t to say that I’ve found my rule and all is well with my soul. As I said before, Christianity is a process, a journey. But having found this short passage, I feel as if I have direction to life my as I see Christ called me to live.