Compared to Whom?

For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil  Ecclesiastes 12:14

I came home from work infuriated with a teenager on my Juvenile Probation caseload ( years ago). The boy had appeared in court on new criminal charges. He had been rude and disrespectful to the judge.  “If I ever had a kid who acted like that in court…”

My husband interrupted me, “Beth, if I ever had a kid in court!”

This was before I had children and before I was a Christian. At work, every child I came into contact with had been through court. Not all of them went back, but many did.

It seems we get accustomed to what happens in the environment where we  spend a lot of time. When I was a Probation/ Parole Officer – all my “clients” had some experience with the court system. When my husband stopped me mid-sentence, he reminded me that not every child gets arrested and goes before a criminal judge.

“Oh, yeah, that’s true.”

I remembered these kids today as a neighbor described how she had caught a teenage boy in her car, stealing whatever he found. Next door to me. In broad daylight. My own grandchildren were playing outside only a few feet away.

Criminal activity in my own realm is no longer the norm for me. It surprises me. I praise God for that!

But my thinking went to what is the norm for me in my world, now.  Am I living a life that is right before God or just one that looks better than the average Joe, so I am happy enough with it?

In my days as a Probation/Parole officer, it was easy to feel pretty good about myself. I had never been arrested or jailed for anything. I knew that was by the grace of God – not because I was such an honest, upright person. By the standard of those I worked with, I was squeaky clean!

As Christians, what is our standard for living? Are we to compare ourselves to others in the Church and see who is doing better before the Lord? At home, are we to judge our behaviors by how others treat us, especially our husbands and children?

Romans 8:29 clarifies where we are to get our standard of living, “For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

If we are to be conformed to the image of Christ, is He not our standard? He lived a sinless life. Jesus told us that He only did what the Father gave Him to do (John 5:19). He obeyed God in all He was given to do.

Are you and I looking at those we share time and space with in order to judge our own behavior and attitudes, or are we looking to Christ as our standard?