GETTING REAL ABOUT MYSELF!

WHAT ARE WE REALLY LIKE?

This morning I seem to have hit the wall with a thought that's been running through my mind for about a month.

What am I really like? I mean REALLY!

I'm 56 and pretty independent. I've always been a bit head-strong and never minded sharing my opinions. I've known that God was moving me in ways that were completely against my nature. And, in most cases .... I complied with the Spirit. But ........ did I really change in the ways that I was convicted? Did I really take on characteristics of Christ and completely remove my natural tendencies?

Christians learn about the instructions for Christian living and they make every effort to live that way. But, the Christian life isn't about effort ..... it's about change. Instead of trying to be a certain way, we need to be a certain person. We need to become the person God wants us to be.

For the next week or so, I'll share some things I've learned about myself - totally personal - not about anyone else but myself. If you feel I'm writing about you, you're wrong. Take my perspective if you like, but your life is between you and the Lord - leave me out of it!

Needed Change Number 1 - I could be nicer! I should be nicer!

When Tim's youngest brother was about 17 or 18, we were shopping for Christmas presents. We went in a store looking for something for a photo album and when we left the store, Jim said "you were so nice to that sales person". I was surprised because I hadn't done anything particularly nice - just spoke nicely as I had asked for help.

But, is being nice simply how we address sales people or people we hardly know? I think that's part of it. But, being nice in a godly way goes much further than that. Here are some truths I've learned about being nice (the hard way) ....... now I need to apply them!

1. "Nice" is relative - we can't determine what nice is in all situations. But, we need to understand the person before us would be the judge. God calls us to account on how people view us, not how we want to be viewed. We're responsible for the impression we make. We're responsible for the words we say. Nice is relative, but we aren't the final judge!

2. "Nice" has nothing to do with how we feel. Nothing - nada! Really, who ever genuinely feels nice? (I'm always suspicious of these kinds of people.) Most people who appear overly nice are usually more concerned about what people think of them than about being genuinely nice or even about the people they are with. In other words, their "nice" has a selfish motive. We need to question our motives. I'll never fully understand the words "for the joy put before him, Christ endured the shame and faced the cross". JOY? Christ didn't feel joyful - he chose joy! We may not feel like being nice - but we need to choose to be nice!

3. "Nice" is man's word! We've taken life and personality and boiled it down, watered it down. The Bible uses words like godliness, holiness, purity, kindness, goodness, joy. It also uses words like long-suffering, perseverance, compassion and forgiveness. Nice is man's word, not a bad word, but a watered-down description of how God has called us to act.

4. "Nice" is just the right thing to be! In almost every situation of life, the right thing to do is to be nice. To be nice, we have to put the other person/people before us. Make them the priority. Even if they don't return the "niceness". It's just right!

I've been working through this in my quiet time, but something happened this weekend that compels me to share it. Tim has been sick and he was keeping me up at night coughing. With only one semi-cool room to sleep in, I had no place to go. Last Friday night, I tossed and turned and didn't get up until nearly 8 am. That put me behind with my time with the Lord and everything else. I had to get some cleaning done because we had company coming. It was nobody's fault but my own, but I was behind. Friends called Tim about coming by for just a few minutes. Tim had gone out and he didn't get home before the friends arrived. When our friends arrived, I was glad to see them ... but I was more disappointed that I wasn't ready for them. And, I think it showed on my face. No doubt, my friends didn't know how my morning had gone, so they graciously apologized for coming by when I was busy. I love these people so much - they are the last people I would not want to be "nice" to. It was only a moment, then everything was fine. But, even a moment was too long. Yep .... I needed "nice". Genuine, heart-felt niceness!

My friend, learn from my mistakes. Nice matters! I need to be nicer ..... how about you?