Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. [1 John 3:2]
When I teach about our Heavenly Father, one of the first things I always ask to get people thinking is about how they picture him in their minds. Watching this, I also thought about how we picture Jesus Christ in our minds. What they physically look like in our minds isn't as important as the characteristics we relate with them.
As a missionary, we emphasize the attributes of faith, hope, charity, love, virtue, knowledge, patience, humility, diligence, obedience. This are the qualities of Jesus Christ that we work to develop in ourselves. As we picture Jesus Christ, do we think of him displaying these qualities? Many of the artists in these portrayals of Christ captured these and other qualities. As the celebration of Jesus Christ's birth approaches, let's focus our attention on Jesus Christ. Through the holiday, we'll see many depictions of him. Let's stop and think about the Christ-like attributes we see in the depiction, and behold more than just the scene. As you see those attributes, think of ways that you can develop them in yourself, so that when you see him, you will be like him and see him as he is.
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