How do we become more like Jesus?

Sometimes the concept of growing in our faith seems very vague and difficult to pin down. What does that mean? How do I go about doing it? What does that look like?

It starts with getting honest with ourselves and with God about where we’re at. It’s so easy to just go through our days and “do all the things”, but never stop and really reflect on what is working and what isn’t working in our lives. The first step in the BUILD method of growing in our faith is to BE AWARE. Being aware involves the spiritual practice of reflection.

If you think of the word “reflect”, a mirror probably comes to mind. It shows us what we look like. We generally don’t leave the house in the morning without looking in the mirror and making sure we look presentable. In the same way, we need a “mirror” to look at the essence of our lives. How are we handling life? Are we becoming more like Jesus?

James 1:23-24 says, “Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in the mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.”

God’s Word, the Bible, is our mirror. As we read it, study it, and hear it preached, what is it telling us about ourselves? What is the Holy Spirit bringing to our attention?

Perhaps we need to take another step back. Are we reading, studying, and hearing God’s Word? Are we going to church and spending time reading the Bible on our own and studying it with others in community? Those are the primary ways that the Holy Spirit speaks to us to show us areas of our life where we need to grow and become more like Jesus.

What does reflection look like? Like the other spiritual disciplines, it can sound intimidating, but really doesn’t need to be. It can be as simple as asking yourself some questions once a week. I frequently do mine on Sunday after church.

- What is working?

- What isn’t working?

- Where in my life do I see God trying to get my attention?

You can make it more involved if you’d like.

- What am I thankful for?

- What has been life giving?

- What has been life draining?

Whatever you do with the time, however long or short it is, the point is to slow down long enough to consider how you’re growing in your faith and where God might be wanting to direct your attention.

If you’d like an overview of the entire BUILD method, you can download it here.

Do you have a practice of reflection? What does that look like for you?