Role Model, Soul Model...

Do you have someone that you look up to and strive to be like? I expect most of us do, parents, siblings, world leaders, inspirational figures, sports stars, pop stars, the list goes on. For me, growing up, it was always my dad. This indestructible, strong, military like man that commanded respect in our household. He served in the Royal Hampshire Regiment during the 60's, the same regiment I was to join some 20 years later. Yep, he was my role model, I wanted to be just like him. As I grew and got older I came to respect many people in life. I especially respected people like Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, and so many others that stood up for what they believed in and would never give in to persecution or oppression. But me, I could never be like these super humans. They had qualities that I could only dream of. I didn't have what these people had, I certainly wasn't as good as them and I certainly didn't live the kind of lives that they did. I can see the big mistake in my thinking as I write this. By looking up to these people I put myself below them and convinced myself that I could never be good enough. But looking back at these thoughts I have to ask myself how could I be the best I possibly could if my mind is already telling me I'm already defeated?

These days, I still do have a role model but I also have a soul model too. My role model is St Paul. People may think of this as a little strange but to me, he is the perfect example of what can be achieved. Imagine a man who hated Christians so much he would have them thrown into prison just for believing in Jesus. He would have them stoned for the same belief, he was even a witness to the stoning of one of the disciples, Stephen. He really wasn't a very nice man. But if you read Acts in the New Testament, you will see how he was spoken to by the Lord and turned from his old life to becoming one of the apostles. Indeed, he was imprisoned and beheaded for his teachings of Christ. But how is it a man can go from so much hate towards his brother, commit horrendous atrocities, commit so many bad sins to eventually becoming the most spoken about Saint in history? The answer is simple. Through the forgiveness, grace and love of God. Is it possible that people in our day and age could do the same? Could someone who has spent years in prison for terrible crimes become a person of inspiration and looked up to as someone that is good and decent? It is sad that humanity doesn't forgive as readily as God. People like this do exist. Maybe they are just harder to recognise, I don't know. But to me St Paul went from spiritual rags to riches.

Now that is a good role model. But I also have a soul model too. That is someone I wish to base my own soul and spirit on. Someone who's actions, love and goodness inspires me to follow him, but to do this I need to train my soul to be like him, to do the things he did, to love the way he did and to forgive the way he did. Only one fits the bill in my eyes, Jesus. By having Jesus as our soul model we will not go far wrong as Christians. After all, being a Christian means we are striving to be Christ-like, a very difficult but not impossible task. We will never be as good as him but in this case, it doesn't hurt to try.