5 Ways Christians Can Reflect Christ through Everyday Etiquette
Spiritual Life
Audio By Carbonatix
7:00 AM on Friday, October 10
By Becky Weber, Spiritual Life
1. Be Kind with Your Words
Our words are one of the most significant ways that we influence people. We can choose to use them for good or for bad. We will either build people up or tear them down. With that much power, we need to be careful with our words.
Words used intentionally to build others up can be a great way to reflect Christ. Are there specific people to whom you can send an encouraging note? When you greet people and say hello, are you friendly with a smile? How do you talk about other people when they aren’t around? Is it positive or negative? Take some time and consider what you communicate to others when you speak to them. We have the power to use our words to point others to Jesus. If it is difficult for you, ask the Lord to help you say things that will reflect him. We never have to do it alone.
2. Look Out for the Needs of Others
Another way to reflect Christ is to be aware of what is happening with the people around us. It’s easy to focus on what is happening in our lives, forgetting that people with whom we interact every day might need someone to notice them. Is there someone going through a crisis in their life? Offer to provide a meal for them or have people sign up to bring them meals so they don’t have to cook. If you have a friend who seems heavy-hearted, ask if they want to go for coffee and let them talk while you listen. Maybe there is a family who lost everything because of a fire, get some people together and buy them the necessities they will need to start over again. You can sponsor a child in a foreign country through a reputable Christian organization.
Use some of your free time to mentor a child who needs a reliable adult. There are many ways to provide for the needs of others.
It can be hard to know where to start, especially in our hurting and imperfect world. Ask Jesus to give you eyes to see those around you who are in need. Look at those who are closest to you first and ask yourself if there is a tangible need that can be met for them today. It does not have to be huge. Do for one what you would do for many. We might be surprised at the impact that it can make.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/SeventyFour
3. Forgive Easily, Be Hard to Offend
We live in a culture where you can be canceled so quickly. People get offended really easily and can sometimes hold on to grudges for years. If we are going to reflect Jesus to others, we have to be different from this. Jesus was quick to forgive and was not easily offended. Unfortunately, no one is perfect, so it's not a matter of if we get hurt by someone else; it is a matter of when.
At specific points in my life, forgiveness has been difficult for me. It would be so much easier to try to protect myself from getting hurt again by holding it against the one who hurt me. If I follow Jesus, I am to forgive those who hurt me because of how much he has forgiven me. When I have trouble with it, I ask the Lord to help me forgive and let go of it. There is more freedom this way and a better way to live.
To reflect Jesus to others, choose to forgive and not be offended. Society doesn’t expect this; it is more common to be blasted on the internet for someone being hurt or offended than to forgive. This is such a powerful way to show others Christ. People will wonder what is different about us because we are not like everyone else. We can introduce them to the life-changing love of Jesus, and pray that their lives will be forever changed.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/fizkes
4. Go Above and Beyond What Others Expect
One of the last things people expect is for a person to go above and beyond what is required of them. It is much easier to get by with the bare minimum and call it good. Nothing is wrong with doing only what is needed, but as Jesus' followers, we are called to do more than get by. Everything we do should respond to the love we receive from Jesus. If we don’t understand how much we are loved, we should ask the Lord to help us know his passion even more. From personal experience, there is no greater motivation than the love of Jesus.
If we follow through with exceeding people’s expectations, they will know that something is different about us. It is such a great way to show the love of Jesus to others. Whether at work, doing something for a friend, volunteering, or doing a favor, people will be surprised at the amount of effort you have put into doing something. The next time you can go above and beyond for somebody, take the chance and see what happens.
5. Consider Others First
It can be a foreign concept to consider others before ourselves. We should take care of ourselves, but to reflect Jesus to others, we are called to consider others. Our focus should be outward, not inward.
It might look like opening the door for someone before you go somewhere, asking what your friend’s preference for lunch is, not drinking one evening because you know the person you are with is now sober, or giving up your seat on a bus if there is a person you know who really needs it. There are many ways to put someone else first; it just requires us to put our preferences behind what someone else might need or prefer.
As always, if you have difficulty doing this, Jesus gives you the desire to think about others first. It has been one of the hardest things for me to do when I want to stick to my agenda. All it takes is remembering what Jesus has done for me, and then it becomes easier to let go of my agenda. Consider others first so you can reflect Jesus to others.
Everyone should learn about everyday etiquette. I fully believe it would have huge benefits for our society. We need more kind and polite people. Those of us who know Jesus have the opportunity to take it even a step further and reflect him to a world that needs to know him. It will also have a much bigger impact if we bring him into our daily interactions with others.
If it seems overwhelming to know where to start, take one of these areas and ask the Lord to help you incorporate it into your life. If you need to learn to be kind, pay more attention to the words that come from your mouth. Work on using them for good. If you don’t usually notice what others need, start talking to others about what is going on in their lives and find ways to provide for a simple need. If it is usually hard for you to forgive others, start working toward becoming someone who forgives easily and is not easily offended. If you only do the bare minimum, start looking for ways to go above and beyond what others expect. If you only think about yourself, start looking for ways to put others first. It may be uncomfortable at first, but it will be worth it. Nothing has given my life more meaning than when I could show Jesus to others. Our lives can have an eternal impact by changing how we live our daily lives. Let’s start today.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/shironosov
