From Dirt to Diamond: The Cost of Christlikeness
Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?
Luke 9:23-25 NLT
We live in a culture where it is so normal to put oneself first. Jesus is calling us to live radically different from our culture and even to deny our personal preferences. First step, we must give up our own way. I will say it is easier to do this in theory. Growing up, I loved the idea of going on short term mission trips overseas. It was exciting to me to be submerged in a different culture and be useful to people. But, it is really in the mundane, consistent, often unseen work where we are truly refined to be more like Jesus.
Think of the process it takes to reveal a diamond. Approximately 550,000 lbs of soil, sand and rock must be blasted, crushed and processed to yield a single carat of rough diamond. That reminds me of God’s rescue process. He rescues us even when we are so buried in our own sins and disobedience. When we acknowledge that He is the only way and commit to him we are immediately accepted as a son or daughter of God. This reminds me of how the diamond is found in the rough ground. After the diamond is discovered and rescued, it goes through a time-intensive reshaping, polishing, and cutting to reveal its value. Jesus is continually refining and shaping us to be more like Him. Additionally, it takes two diamonds spun side by side next to each other to shape the diamonds. This reminds me of the value of community to shape and form us to be more like Jesus. There is value in the process of revealing and polishing a diamond. Originally, the diamond is buried there in the dirt, but it is hard work to prepare it to shine.
It is easy to love people when they don’t need us constantly, when we can keep our distance. Prayer and consistent time with the Lord is really the only way I can become more like Jesus–treating people as He would. Jesus set the example for prayer and communication with His heavenly Father who was not visible from earth. In my younger years, I was unsure how to pray, and I thought it was more of a formula: ACTS, Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. I would think there was a right and wrong way to talk with God, which ended up distancing my prayers to him as I thought I might be praying the “wrong way.” I am learning that prayer can be even in a breath. Thinking of responding in a habitual or selfish way? Pause, “Lord, guide me in love and patience in this interaction.” That’s it! It takes one breath to communicate with my heavenly Father in a moment that I have limited patience and wisdom.
Secondly, we are asked to take up our cross daily. Ugh, really? Does that mean that we must be prepared to suffer? I think Jesus took much of our suffering when he died on that cross, but we will have times of suffering in this world. Maybe it is an unjust experience at work, maybe it is a mental anguish or even physical sickness. I have had times that have felt like suffering. Holding up my cross daily means a posture of daily surrender and without Jesus, I am fragile. I can ask Jesus what area in my life I need to surrender to Him. For me, I am called first to love and serve my family. My family needs my continual attention, service, and love. Practically, I need to be willing to yield, pause, and change direction if my family needs some additional support or rest. Jesus called us to a refined, holy life, not an easy life. Desiring holiness and sacrificial love is worth more than any temporary worldly treasures.