Perplexed

DEVOTION
GALATIONS
PERPLEXED
Gal 4:19-20
19 My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, 20 how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!
NIV
No one should ever be perplexed about me. At least I hope and pray no one is ever perplexed when they think about me. I think they could be if I am saying one thing and doing and acting in another way. If I exhibit hypocrisy it then could be a reasonable cause for people to have a certain sense of perplexity in my regard. They would not be able to understand what kind of Christian I am. That would be a travesty. If I am not who I say I am. If I do not behave in a manner which exemplifies Christ, but always talk as if I am some great follower I could understand how they would be perplexed. Now I have to ask myself is that actually the case. Am I the person I say I am? Do I live in the manner as I profess to? I am not perfect and I do make errors in judgment from time to time. I do get beside myself once in awhile and behave, or respond in an inappropriate way. I might not always be as Christ-like as I am suppose to be, but does all that mean I am not living out my faith in front of others? I wonder if people expect me to be perfect. I wonder if they have certain expectations of me and when I fail to meet them, they get perplexed. Do they have the right to those expectations? I suppose that really is not the issue, but rather the issue is about what I do about them. I don’t know how I could be as perfect as some people would expect me to be, but I should at least be transparent enough they see me for who I am and thus not have to ever get into a perplexed state regarding me. If I profess to be a born again believer, I should live as one. That is not a life of perfection, but rather a life with a purpose of being a light to the world, being the salt of the earth and being a mirror reflecting the image of Christ to the lost as well as to my fellow believers. I do not claim to be perfect as I am not. I do not claim to be without sin because I am not. I do claim to be righteous other than through Christ. So in that sense I am who I say I am. I do attempt to be as Christ-like as I can, but I know I fail and I say I fail, not that I am content with that, but it is what it is. It does amaze me through how unbelievers know how I am supposed to behave, or at least think they know. In either case, I really should live as best I can so as not to perplex anyone.