Congruence
By Linda
and Richard Eyre
Note: Each
week this column provides a short essay on one particular
aspect or facet of the Lord’s personality and character.
It is intended that the reader focus on this facet while
partaking of the sacrament this Sunday. (Click here to
read full introductory column.) Review previous columns
by going to the What Manner of Man Archives by clicking
in the margin to the right.
Congruence is broadly
defined as internal and external consistency — being honest
with one’s self and honest with others. Any lack of internal
or external honestly is a weakening factor — a darkening,
eye-dropping loss of self. Almost every mortal lacks at
least a degree of congruence, because virtually no mortal
lives exactly as he knows he should, exactly as he would
tell others to live.
Part of Christ’s incomparable
personal magnetism and power came from his total
congruence. He taught what He was. He was what He taught.
He said what He felt. He felt what He said.
Many men understand the power
that comes from saying: “What you see is what you get. I
may not be perfect, but I am genuine. I am real. I do not
pretend to be anything that I’m not.” Imagine for a moment
the strength that would lie in being able to say (as Christ
did): “I am truth. I am the example for all. Come, follow
me.”
The purpose of Christ’s life
was to bear witness of the truth (see John 18:37), the kind
of pure truth that frees men’s minds from ignorance and
error (see John 8:32). His strongest rebukes were directed
toward the dishonestly of hypocrites (see Matthew 15:7-9,
Isaiah 29:13-15). His standard of honestly was total.
He demanded honestly not only
in words and deeds, but in the motives behind the
words and deeds. He was not pleased when the right things
were done for the wrong reasons — including fasting (see
Matthew 6:16-18), prayer (see Matthew 6:5-6), and service
(see Matthew 6:1-4). Another definition of congruence, then,
would be doing the right things for the right reasons.
Christ knew and taught that
nothing can ever be right in a man’s life if he is not sincere.
Some lives look better outside than inside. We may compare
such lives to a large paste diamond — they win admiration
from others but are secretly despised by those that live
them. Christ’s congruence gave Him the one thing more prized
that the respect of others: the respect of self. Trying
to win the approval of others can lead to insincerity unless
the deeper motive is to be worth of God’s love and to with
self-respect. The real secret lies deep within the
heart (see Matthew 15:19-20, Luke 16:15).
Christ’s congruence gave His
life a consistency that allowed Him to “do always
those things that please [God]” (John 8:29), and which caused
His Father to say, on virtually every recorded instance
when man has heard Him speak: “This is my Beloved Son, in
whom I am well pleased.”
To win that “in whom I am well
pleased” stamp of approval is the ultimate goal of every
Christian life. Congruence is a vital key to that goal.
It is the kind of total honestly that the Savior constantly
displayed.
Closing
Note:Many have asked if it is possible to get
all of the weekly “facets” or aspects of the Savior from
this column in book form. We now have such a book, and
we would like to give it as a gift to you loyal readers
who have been with us for these many weeks. Just send a
self- addressed, stamped, book-sized envelope (the padded
ones are best) to us at 1098 Augusta Way, Salt Lake City,
Utah, 84108 and we will send you a signed copy. (You will
need to put $1.84 in stamps or postage on your return envelope.)
Please respond only if you have been reading and following
the column, and please do not ask for more than one copy
of the book. We hope this gift will help you continue this
idea, and that it will “link” us with as we think about
the same facet together each Sunday. All our best, Richard
and Linda Eyre
