21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, 22 who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; 23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. 25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls. 1 Peter 2:21-25

You’ve seen the interviews with WWII war heroes. To a man, they always say, if you can get them to say anything at all about themselves, “I just did what anyone else would have done.” These were very young men, ahead of the prime of their lives, who deep down had what it took to instinctively sacrifice and suffer for their country. You’re not seeing that profile much these days. In fact, many who serve their country or cities in uniform are maligned and ridiculed.

Selfishness has pretty much replaced selflessness. Evil seems unharnessed by even common courtesy. On social media, the unhinged and unrestrained rail against anything good, or the idea of anything good. There’s a lot of vicious fighting going on against mankind, or should I say, people-kind. And kindness has no role in it!

It is into this moral morass we are called to follow in Christ’s footsteps. He walked in a society much like ours, spoke the truth, and suffered dearly for it. Here we are urged to take what comes without sinning, without lashing out.

As things continue to heat up, and even mild association with Christianity becomes reason for public scorn, more and more we’ll have to keep entrusting ourselves to him who judges righteously, the “Shepherd and Guardian of our souls,” if we too want to “die to sin and live to righteousness,” and follow in his footsteps.