A Lot Like You

Several months ago I had a dream I don’t think I will soon forget. The dream itself was special, but the lesson it taught me has lingered to this day.

In the dream, I was in a soup kitchen, and Jesus was there, handing out sandwiches to a line of hungry people. I was near the end of the line. When it was my turn, Jesus turned toward me with a sandwich in hand. The gentle smile on His face and tender look in His eyes warmed the farthest reaches of my heart. Compassion radiated from Him and overflowed to me. I held out my hands to receive the sandwich, and just as He was about to give it to me, the dream ended. 

The dream felt so wonderfully real that I was still thinking about it as I slowly woke up. It seemed like it had actually happened. I could still feel the emotions it had stirred.

But something about the dream puzzled me, and that was why Jesus looked so familiar. As I thought about it, it became clearer, and I realized the reason why.

He looked exactly like someone I knew.

That’s what has lingered with me all this time: we have the opportunity to be the face of Jesus in others’ lives. But what does that look like?

The dream made me think of the words of a song called “A Lot Like You” (by 4HIM), which talks about this very topic. Since the song covers it so well, I’m going to weave my reflections alongside its lyrics for the remainder of this post.

the difference (verse 1)

We’re living in this world
But  are we making a difference
Maybe  the salt in us is out of season
They look into our eyes
I wonder what are they seeing
Has  Jesus been disguised by our religion
And  the nations cry for the real Messiah
“O come and please show us the way”
We  say He’s already come
And that He’s livin’ in us
But can He really be found in our lives today¹

We live in a world that has lost sight of hope. Living in us is the hope of the world. But when the world looks at us, do they catch a glimpse of the hope we hold, or is it obscured by other things in our lives? They don’t have to be bad things, either. Even the trappings of religion can be a hindrance if we allow them to be. 

What is there in our lives that shows we have been changed, transformed, and taken over by a kind of love this world has never known? Is there a difference?

the mission (verse 2)

If all this world’s a stage
I guess that we are the players
So in this part we play, what are we saying
Do we speak the truth with the words we’re using
If not, we’re just wasting our time
We’re on a mission of hope
With every seed that we sow
We’ve got to seize every moment that passes by

We are witnesses to a watching world. What is the message we are proclaiming through our lives? Our mission is to testify to the truth. Jesus said that this was the purpose for which He was born (John 18:37). It was the reason why He came, and it’s the reason why He has sent us out. 

As we sow seeds of the truth that transforms, we’re preparing to reap a harvest of hope.

the prayer (bridge) 

All we are and all we should ever long to be
Is just a vessel, 
Just to die, to be fashioned by God’s hand
Until all that remains is love

We are only vessels in God’s hand. His power working in and through us is what makes the difference and brings about the change. By dying to ourselves and being born anew, we’re shaped into the image of who God intends us to be: a reflection of His love. Slowly over the course of our lives, all else is taken away until we radiate the purity of perfection.

the aim (chorus) 

When your words are His words
When  your ways His ways
When your hands are the hands He can use
When your heart’s desire is just to be a heart 
He reaches through
That’s when Jesus looks a lot like you
That’s when Jesus looks a lot like you

So how do we know when we’re showing forth a true picture of what Jesus is like? There are so many ways. When we say what He would say and do what He would do, when we speak the truth and live our lives in the shape of grace, when we let Him do His work through us—that’s when Jesus is seen in our lives. He works in the realm of our desires, causing us to crave to be a vessel of His glory. Rivers of Living Water flow through us and spill into the lives of all we touch. As you clear the way, that’s when Jesus can shine through you, and the person in the mirror will begin to bear a remarkable resemblance to the One who lives inside you.

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1. 4HIM, “A Lot Like You,” by Mark Harris, Keith Dudley, and Michael Omartian, on The Message, Benson Music Group, 1996, compact disc. ↩︎