A lady was sharing her story of evangelism.  She had answered God’s call to share her faith with another woman she knew through school.  The second lady was known for dressing in “goth” fashion. Her regular attire was all black, including black shoes, pants, shirt, lipstick, nail polish, and hair. 

She reached out as a believer to this other unique lady and quickly became friends.  Soon she invited her to Church, and within a short amount of time, her new friend made Jesus her Lord and Savior.  Then began a process of transformation in her mind and soul.  Reading scripture, prayer, and Church attendance was all part of her new life. 

The original lady was perplexed as she shared the story and said something like, “she still hasn’t given up her goth dress yet.”  As she shared that line, I froze in stunned silence.  The thought in my mind was specifically, “Are you trying to make her like you or like Jesus?”

One mistake that believers can make is to think they are living the exact way Jesus would want, and for people to convert to the faith, they should also become like me. Their clothes should change, the style of music become like mine, and what they do for fun should be things that I enjoy.  At one point in history, this problem was big among missionaries.  They would preach the gospel but also attempted to make people become American as well as Christian. 

God made us all unique.  We all have different likes and dislikes.  Everyone has things that are part of our personality that may never change.  Believers need to accept this truth and embrace it.  The work of grace in our lives is to make us like Jesus, not like each other.