Call of Jesus Part 4

In the key relationships in your life, how are you being asked to be more like the person of Jesus?

This question is relatively easy to answer but can be quite difficult to live out.

In my relationship with Mary Beth I am called to be loving. This means to offer myself in love as an agent of God's love, reserving judgment and seeking to serve our relationship in a healthy, constructive, well-balanced way. Much of this love requires presence, both physical and emotional, which can be challenging with a busy life. If I am tired, I don't always feel like giving of myself. I am not home, I can't offer the kind of support necessary to maintain a healthy family life. All in all, if I withhold judgment of Mary Beth and seek to give and support her as a partner and mother, I am living the person of Jesus.

With my sons, again, if I am present to them and for them, physically and emotionally I am being Jesus. If I listen to them and play with them on their terms - instead of always on mine - I am honoring and loving them in a healthy way. Also, if I am patient with them. Patience is sometimes difficult for me, especially with children, as they do not see the world the way I do. I have to remember to enjoy and relish in their childhood as they are closer to God, in many ways, than I am. It is my duty to preserve and protect their childhood.