The Jesus Shaped Life

 “We become what we love, and who we love shapes what we become.” —St. Clare of Assisi

Recently, I was watching my fifteen-year-old son warm up on the sidelines in preparation for a football game.  I was sitting next to his oldest brother, who is sixteen years older than him, and who played football on the same field long ago.  

At one point, I nudged my oldest son and said, "Look at how your brother is standing.  He looks just like you did at that age."  It was uncanny.  If you had photos of the two of them side by side from the same vantage point, you would be hard-pressed to determine who was who.  

It's hard to say just how that happened.  Some of it could be genetics, but I think most of it is imitation on my youngest's part, brought on by years of being around his older brother and by his subconscious desire to be like him.  

This got me thinking about what it means to do our best to imitate Jesus, which is the kind of thing that I think about because I'm not only a nerd about spiritual things, I can't really shut off the compunction to make those connections.  

Here's what I think: We become what we’re around. Over time, imitation becomes effortless. The same is true in faith: when we spend time with Jesus, His way of being begins to shape ours.

To follow Jesus is not simply to admire Him—it is to be transformed by Him. The goal of faith is not to become more religious, but to become more Christ-like. Over time, as we live in His presence, love as He loved, and walk where He walked, His life begins to take shape in ours. 

Discipleship is less about mastering doctrines and more about mirroring Christ's heart.

Paul’s hymn in Philippians 2 paints a portrait of that life: humility, compassion, self-giving love. “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,” he writes. 

This isn’t a call to imitation by effort alone—it’s an invitation to transformation by grace. When we abide in Christ, His character becomes the template of our own.

But living a Jesus-shaped life rarely fits neatly into the world’s mold. Our culture prizes self-promotion; Jesus modeled self-emptying. The world rewards status; Jesus knelt with a towel and washed feet. The world tells us to seek comfort; Jesus chose the cross. 

The shape of His life—curved downward in humility and outward in love—stands in radical contrast to the upward climb of ambition and self-interest.

To live the Jesus-shaped life, then, is to take a different path: one marked by mercy instead of judgment, gentleness instead of aggression, generosity instead of fear. It is a life of service, not superiority. 

Transformation happens not in an instant but through thousands of small acts of surrender—each “yes” to love, each “no” to ego, each choice to forgive.

The more we center our lives around Jesus, the more we begin to resemble Him—not perfectly, but perceptibly. His way becomes our way, His love our reflexive response, His peace our resting place. 

And in a world that often forgets what love looks like, a life shaped like Jesus is the most compelling sermon we can ever preach.

Prayer

Christ our Teacher and Friend,
shape my heart to look more like Yours.
Teach me humility when pride tempts, compassion when I am weary,
and forgiveness when resentment rises.
Form my life in Your image until Your love becomes my instinct
and Your way becomes my joy.
Amen.

Reflection Questions

1. When people encounter you, what aspects of Christ’s character might they glimpse?

2. In what areas of your life are you still being invited to take on the mind of Christ?

3. What practices help you stay centered in the way of Jesus each day?