Someone to Admire

God doesn't want us to worship idols whether they be statues of gods or men. But God did give us one man to admire and worship. Part of his very self, Jesus is the only Man we're allowed to worship.

But God has, over the years, also put on our Earth men and women of such quality as to be angels in my mind. What they are in God's eyes, I do not know. But in the eyes of this observer and participant in Creation, they are people in whom God has entrusted important messages about Him, great intellect, deep empathy for humanity, and desire to follow Jesus' teaching and some to sacrifice their very flesh for the glory of God.

There are many popular and well-known examples of these angels. But not all of them were endowed with all of the traits which sets the ultimate Man apart from everyone else. They each possess pieces. Large pieces. These people certainly hold a high place in my mind when it comes ethical, moral, intellectual and religious values. I admire these people. To be more exact, I guess I admire their Gifts. I don't worship them to be sure, but I see their beliefs, actions, and determination as some things to aspire to. Sure, they are all human and they all had sin similar to me, but they seem so much better the me. They acted in ways in public which I seem to be unable to do. They proclaimed messages, affected thousands and influenced entire generations of people, the effects of which still reverberate today.

There are smaller voices. People less public. Less-known. Smaller angels? In some ways more personal because they are closer and more accessible. People of higher moral standards than me. They probably spend more time with God than me. They offer words and teaching and action which move me ... make me desire a closer relationship with Jesus then I feel I have. I'm sure they stumble during their walk of life just as do. Sometimes, they talk about it openly. I admire that: The public confession. Some see it as weakness. I see strength. Strength of conviction. strength of their relationship with God, One day, perhaps I will too. The smaller voices come to me from all around. Friends, neighbors, pastors, family ... even on TV if I'm on the right channel. There are many people I interact with each day with something to admire and to aspire to.

Now I'm not really talking about admiring a person, but rather some of the God-given gifts and attributes they possess which are usually visible though actions or words. And I don't think I'm getting into coveting. There are a lot people who have admirable traits. If I could be little more like other people in these small ways, I feel like I'm taking baby steps towards the ultimate goal of living or being a little like Jesus. They might say in the "corporate world" that with Jesus, God set the bar pretty high. But through prayer, community, and grace, I will just keep taking my baby steps.