Grace or Gandhi?

Grace pays the consequence of our sins and shortcomings, and extends to us an invitation to real-life relationship with our Creator. God's grace is given new every day for all time. It meets us right where we're at, and doesn't come with any strings attached to it. By its nature, it is a gift. But following Christ does not come with no strings attached. Too many times we as Christians feel that grace, while it covers our sins, enables a certain level of plateau in our lives. God's grace meets every person where they are at. But if we are to accept His gift  of life which the grace extends, then we are called to change and become more Christ-like every day. 

I read an article on Christianity.com today which discusses Gandhi's famous quote, "your Christ I like, your Christians I don't." It's a great article, and it touches on this idea a bit. It states, correctly, that Gandhi was speaking on his personal interpretation; who he thought Christ was. He did not live his life purposing to become more Christ-like. But he did apparently notice this lack in other Christians. 

This quote has been used countless times to pronounce judgement on hypocritical Christians, and it has been used even further to simply write off Christians altogether. Many times, people accompany this quote with a statement like, "Gandhi had his Jesus, you have yours, I have mine." Like there are multiple Jesus's, or perhaps Jesus is open to each individual's interpretation. He is not. There is only one Christ. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His life and teachings and guidance are not open to interpretation. What we can know of Him is detailed in the Bible, and is revealed through the Holy Spirit's guidance each day. 

Are we as Christians in danger of interpreting our own Christ when we plateau in our growth? When we remain stagnant in our daily lives, and don't seek to grow, are we truly honoring the gift of grace extended to us? Are we interpreting what we think our relationship with Christ should look like? There's a lot of grey area there, and it can be very costly. We will certainly continue to fall flat on our faces every day. We're human. That is the very reason God extends grace to us daily. But if we claim to follow Christ and His teachings, then we must strive to grow every day. We must, as Paul writes, switch from mother's milk to meat & potatoes. 

I believe that when people look at our lives, this process of growth (including all the failings) is what shows Christ in our lives best. Not good actions, nice words, consistent tithing, church attendance, or even (gasp!) fiery blogs. What do people see in your life? Do you want to show Christ to others? Show them your journey. Not some plateau of compromises and interpretations. And yes, I'm writing this to myself.