Why do we keep making the same mistake, time and time again? Society takes men and women of history and heroizes them, only to be disappointed when we discover that these heroes are human and make mistakes like the rest of us. We know that no one is perfect, and yet we seem to expect perfection from them. We put them on a pedestal, thinking they can do no wrong. We study their good deeds and model our lives after them.
And then we discover something horrible from their past, a lapse in judgment from a time when they were young and stupid. Suddenly, our shining examples are tainted. We feel let down by someone we don't even know. What's wrong with us? Don't we remember being young and stupid? Didn't we go through a period of our lives when we were learning the difference between right and wrong? Wasn't there a time when each of us made a bad decision that ended in disaster? Aren't we exactly like our heroes after all? So why do we suddenly vilify those who once set the standard?
God addressed this very issue when the apostle Paul wrote that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). The Bible is filled with men and women who were chosen by God to do great things, and yet they all made huge mistakes. While I can learn important lessons from each of their stories, I only want to emulate one person. His name is Jesus.
Jesus showed us how to live. His example is different from all those who had lived before and all who would live after; his life was lived without sin. There aren't any skeletons in His closet. No past mistakes will pop up and taint our view of Him. I want to live like Christ. I want to model my life after Him and no one else. And when I make mistakes, as I will, I hope others will look past my errors and see Christ in me. I hope they will see my contrite heart and my repentance. I hope they will see His forgiveness, His grace, and His mercy. I hope my life will point them to Him, so that they will model their lives after Christ, too, because Jesus is the standard.
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