I think we’ve all been there in our lives. We want to be better. We want to change to be what the world considers “good”. What does being “better” or a “good person” actually mean?
I’m sure we all have our our personal definitions of what is “better/good”. For some people, this revolves around belongings. For others, it revolves around being put in the spotlight. I could go on and on listing the different ways in which people try to achieve becoming a “better” or “good” person.
That would take me all day and I would still miss things, so I’m not going to do that.
Instead, I’m going to just share my own thoughts on this topic. There are a couple questions we need to consider before we can actually start doing things.
- What is your motivation for becoming a better person?
- Is it temporary or do you plan to make a lifestyle change?
- Do you realize it’s going to take time?
Before we delve in further, let me make this clear: I don’t know everything. I’ve got a lot of work to do in this area. I’m no where near where I want to be in my life. I’m just sharing the things I’ve been working on.
So first things first: what is your motivation? In my opinion, it’s nearly impossible to be “better” if you’re only doing it because someone else has expectations of you. When you want to be a better person simply because you want to be a better person and you set goals for yourself, you’ll have far more success.
Second: temporary or continuous? Becoming a better version of yourself comes with an entire lifestyle change. Doing one thing here and there to help others or do better is great for that moment, but it won’t impact any other part of your life in a major way. This change needs commitment from you. Are you willing to give that commitment?
Third: time. Becoming “better” doesn’t happen overnight. As stated above, it’s a lifestyle change. We live in a world where things happen in an instant. When we’re trying to change our core self, we’re going to have set-backs. Our habits are a part of who we are and those habits will come out constantly as we try to change. Do you have the courage to push through those set-backs?
Finally, my thoughts on becoming “better”. I don’t believe there’s any such thing as a “good Christian”, which also means I don’t think there’s such a thing as a “good person”. We can make good choices; we can treat people well. There is no one thing, though, that every single person can do to be “good”.
With that being said, here are a few things that I’ve learned through the Bible as well as just living that help me to change my lifestyle.
- Think of others as better than yourself. (Philippians 2:3) – when we consider how our lives may affect the people around us, we have the ability to notice those around us and care more deeply for them.
- Love your neighbor as yourself. (Mark 12:31) – funny enough, my focus isn’t going to be the neighbor here. In order to be a better version of yourself, you need to start loving yourself. You might not like every single thing about yourself, but if you’re not willing to love yourself, it becomes extremely difficult to grow.
I was going to add a few more things, but just those two are huge and I don’t want you to feel overwhelmed. As always, if you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out!
Blessings,
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