A Little Less Like Me

Sometimes when a message comes my way, I don’t know whether God really means to send it to me.

God seems to be fine with that—or at least used to the fact that I can be a little dense. He just keeps nudging me with the message again and again. God is steady and loving. And he is persistent. He also knows I don’t pick up on everything right away—especially when I don’t want to.

So, the first time I heard the song, “Less Like Me,” at Mass, I thought it was beautiful. But I didn’t carry it with me out of the church doors.

The second time—at the same church—I found myself listening more closely to the words of the song (which you can hear on this YouTube link).

“Lord, help me be…a little more like mercy, a little more like grace
A little more like kindness, goodness, love, and faith
A little more like patience, a little more like peace
A little more like Jesus, a little less like me.”

A little more like Jesus, a little less like me. It makes you think. We love to talk about being true to ourselves and we focus on self-discovery. Understanding ourselves is something we truly embrace and cherish. So, at first the idea of being “a little less like me” might make us uncomfortable. It’s certainly not my favorite idea. I am perfectly comfortable being myself.

But those lines also seem to be speaking about the importance of setting aside your own desires to lean into holiness. We are each designed to be a wonderful individual who loves and serves God—and one another. And the more we become like Jesus, the more we can be who God intended us to be.

I still wasn’t feeling particularly called to consider this closely until I went to a completely different parish this weekend. I was traveling for the day out of state, and I picked this church simply because the confession times worked well for me, and it was near my son’s band competition.

After confession, I had a little time, so I decided to stay for Mass.

During the intentions, the priest celebrating the Mass prayed that when we heard the hymn during the Communion Meditation we would see the importance of the words of the song. The Communion Meditation? “Less Like Me.”

OK, God. I can take a hint. More like you, less like me. I’m just not sure how to get there. And so I am sitting with the song, which is now stuck in my head. I’m trying to reflect on it and be open to whatever God has in mind here.

“But even at my best, I must confess
I still need help to see the way You see
… Somebody with a hurt that I could have helped
Somebody with a hand that I could have held
When I just can’t see past myself
Lord, help me be.”

God loves us exactly as we are. He has loved us for all time. He loves us when we fall, and he loves us when we pick ourselves up and ask for his mercy and forgiveness. He loves us when we know the path to follow, and he loves us when we are stumbling to find the way. He loves us deeply, fully, and completely. And, as our father, he wants what is best for us.

I think God has something in mind with this song. So, I’ll let it run in my mental playlist for a while and see how it bears fruit.

“… A little more of living everything I preach
A little more like Jesus, a little less like me.”

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