What Makes Me Better?

Do you think, we as Christians are better than people around us? Better in morale, ethics, hard work, faith, attitude, etc…? Let’s analyse.

It was 4 AM early morning, I was trying hard to wake up as I had to catch a early morning train to travel with my family to my in-laws place, and at a distance I hear noise from one of our neighboring house. I peeped out of my front door to see what was going on. The neighbors were a Muslim family and they as family (Man, His wife and their eldest son of age about 10) were preparing their start of day. This family owns a meet business\shop and soon I understood that it was their daily routine. I also learned one of our other neighbor, a Hindu family also start their day early as they have to prepare stuff as they run a morning breakfast hotel.

Soon after seeing these families, thoughts started to flow in my mind and questions started to rage. Am I more hard working than these families? If I was in their situation, would my own wife or children be supportive to me as I see in these families? Am I really worthy of what I earn sitting comfortably on my laptop when I see these families having such hard struggles to sustain themselves? So the ultimate question was, What makes me better than these hard working people?

This was a live example of two families that I was able to witness. But as we start exploring wider, there are millions of such hardworking faithful families or individuals who are living around us who are working hard and sustaining themselves and families. Things have got still harder now in these tough covid times. And again the question, If you or I were in any other situation, would we have been better than others? The answer was clearly NO.

Take a look a look at these below 3 examples, there are 100’s of such reports if we want to explore from around the world. At times when my own wife fears stepping out of the house with me in fear of covid, its such an irony to see these elderly working, supporting and leading their families.

• 80-Year-Old Woman Who Sells Idli @ Rupees 1 
• An Elderly Key-chain Seller Near McDonald’s
• 86-Year-Old Bhel Puri Vendor From Faridabad 

These stories are something that prick my heart and my thoughts. Infact it should prick the heart and minds of each one of us who call ourselves as Christians, followers of Jesus Christ. If we are ignorant of these things and always busy in our own comforts, then its high time for us to wake up friends. Its just same as the story our savior Jesus mentions of, Lazarus and the Rich Man. I would not be surprised during the Judgement day, Jesus upholding the 80 year old lady selling Idli’s for 1 rupees, probably who never prayed or visited Church rather then many of today’s church going and praying Christians.

I am sure, If I was under circumstance like the ones mentioned in the above examples or the family’s I mentioned off, then my ability to survival would have been a big question. I am for sure I would not be the same person as I am now. I am sure even my wife would not be able to work that hard for sustenance or she would have never come into my life in the first place. I soon understood, there was nothing good or better in ME when compared to these wider individuals or hardworking families and people around us. No, nothing in me was worth that i could think off, except for my dependency on God’s favor and Grace.

Yes, the ultimate truth that I understood is, if it was not for the saving Grace and the favor of our Lord, I would have been in miserable conditions. I would have never know Christ for that matter and would have been living a worldly life, seeking and running behind the worldly lusts. I cannot imagine myself leading a honorable life that i am living now. The ultimate truth that we all need to understand especially as Christians is that, there is nothing to boost of oneself as each one of us are in different circumstances. There should be nothing in our lives that we must be proud off. There is nothing that makes us better, except for having to know and adore our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Many of us as Christians have become so busy in our own world, that we seldom or never think of the wider people around us. We have been blinded in our own comforts and refuse to see situation of others. The continuing conscientious that we are no different than others around us is very important for us to remain and lead a humble life in God. Remember, it’s always in humbleness that you will experience the hand of God leading you. It’s always in your humbleness and submission that the presence of God remains.

I have seen people with great morale ethics in other religions than in my own Christian community. I have seen great faith and beliefs (irrespective of true or false) in people around me than in many Church going Christians. I have witnessed great helping nature in many non Christians than in my own family members. Most of the hard working people I have seen are all from different faith. Have witnessed many Christians with bad attitudes. I have seen Christians doing great spiritual prayers but fail miserably when it comes to practical Christ centered living. So in what sense or standards can we think of ourselves better?

Jesus, that’s why mentions, “Judge not others”. We know in bits and parts, our knowledge and understanding are limited, our circumstances are totally different from others around us. So it’s a great danger when we start Judging by what we see. Staying humble and loving others is the best we need to do. That’s the only area where we need to try to be better than any others. The only thing that makes any of us better is by having Jesus IN US. In Christ alone is our hope and In Christ alone we will be exalted. It’s just because of His Grace that we are who we are. It’s His Grace that provides us, shelters us and gives us a meaningful and honorable life of peace and Joy. If we have anything to boast off or anything to share or anything to compare, it should be Christ.

Remember, there is nothing in you and me that makes us better. Weather you are rich or poor, white, brown or black, educated or illiterate, tall or short, thin or fat, healthy or sick nothing of these sort should matter for us. All of our righteousness, deeds and prayers are just as filthy rags in front of God, if it was not Christ and the Cross.