Pleasing or Painful?

What comes to mind when you see this week’s image? Pleasure or pain? Do you want to spend time with the cactus or move on to something else? While I had no desire to embrace this little fella, I found him mesmerizing.

The question I have for you today, is “How do others see you?”

I’m not talking about your looks. I’m not talking about how you dress, where you live, or what you drive. I’m asking what people “see” in you.

I’ve claimed the following as my life verse for many years now.

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20, NASB)

I want to be honest about something here. Off and on since declaring this as my life verse, I’ve fallen into the trap of saying to myself, “This is a hard verse to live up to.” I’ve learned over the years this is not something for me to strive to “live up to”, or do, or be.

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Take the photo for instance. The cactus is not making an effort to be either painful to touch, or beautiful to behold. I’m sure, its parent did not tell it at a young age, “Now, people are going to shy away from you because you’re prickly. You need to make sure you put your best spine forward, so they’ll appreciate you.”

The cactus is being what it is.

I believe that is how we should be in our life. We should be who we are.

The question is, “Who are we?”

If we are Christian, we are not just ourselves. We’ve been transformed. Romans 12:2 describes this.

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

This transformation is not of our doing, it reflects Christ living in us. We don’t have to start the day by giving ourselves a pep talk, or worse, end the day giving ourselves a beating. It’s God’s will that we represent that which is good and acceptable and perfect. The only thing good, acceptable, and perfect, is Christ.

We don’t point to us; we point to Christ.

Galatians tells us Christ loves us. So much so, He gave Himself for us. There is great hope in that. We have faith that His death and resurrection take the place of our sin allowing our minds to be renewed, and our lives to be pleasing—to Him and to others.

How do others see you? Are you trying to create something acceptable through your own works? Or, are you allowing Christ to be seen through you?

Today’s feature photo comes from a “photo-a-day” challenge I pursued several years ago. The photo inspires the topic. For me, the posts challenge my creativity, writing discipline, and dependence on God for His message. My prayer is that you find hope in God’s Word, and that you’ll share your hope with others.