“The beauty of holiness” is a delightful and profound biblical thought. We long for the clarity, simplicity, and certainty that comes from a paint-by-numbers spirituality, to know exactly where the lines are drawn and what colors we should use to fill them, and yet the Bible continually confounds our efforts to make all its truth fit in our neat boxes. We think there is an ideal body weight, a best-practices study plan, one way to be a good Christian employee or manager, and we constantly measure ourselves against these perfect models, the WWJD approach to Christian living.
But from that mindset, “What Would Jesus Do?” is a trick question, making us think that Jesus would always do the same thing in the same situation, and that following him is just about identifying and imitating that action. What if he wished instead for us to absorb his worldview and then shine that out in our own unique way with our own personalities and contexts, spins and quirks, under the individual guidance of the Spirit.
Holiness is not a flow-chart of right choices with everyone responding in the same way to the same situation. From my perspective this would actually undermine God’s design for us as unique parts of the Body of Christ. Some are good at encouragement, others at pointing out problems. Some are gifted in counsel and others in comfort. In this building of God, some are studs, outlets, or flooring, and each has a unique part to play. Walking in the Spirit is organic and dynamic, often surprising and confounding, a constant learning and discovering process where even our faults and missteps contribute.
There is no simple and easy answer to predetermine my response to a neighbor that mows over my petunias or a kid who is afraid of my dog. Love is always the answer, but love has a thousand ways of expressing itself, and if it is truly love, it will be beautiful in each of these expressions–a flowering cactus is just as thrilling as a prize-winning rose. So let us become artists in our own unique way, painting our world with the love only we can give in our inimitable way.
Janathan Grace Reflections 
Thanks, a good reminder for today.
I’m glad you found it encouraging
we love cookie-cutter answers, don’t we???? (that way we don’t have to think… just perform the “right” thing)
I think for many folks, it gives them a sense of security that they are making a passing grade. It is reassuring.
I love (and needed) this. Always thinking I could have been better in a certain situation; comparing myself with a friend who is talented or gifted in conversation/counseling or communicating. Just thinking I can do better! “A flowering cactus is just as thrilling as a prize-winning rose.”
Love it.
I’m glad you found encouragement in my words. Yes, comparisons can really hurt us and drive us to unhealthy striving for an acceptance that we already have in the heart of God.