Are siblings really siblings if they don't get into each other's things? I was three years old when my sister was born. I loved my sister so much that I asked my mom to have five more babies just like her. However, once she became old enough to get into my things, my mind was quickly changed. I went back on my word and told my mom that I had had enough. I didn't want any more babies in the house. As kids and even adults, we all tend to have our "sacred" items that we feel belong to us and no one else. When someone messes with our "sacred" things, we don't react well. As a kid, it was my toys. For others, it may be their car, their boat, or even their lawn. Things become special to us because we hold them as valuable.
It reminds me of a story about two brothers who loved to collect and trade baseball cards. The older brother had a special collection that the younger brother wasn't supposed to touch. One day when the older brother was gone, the younger brother did something he thought was helpful. He found his brother's special collection then proceeded to cut, hole punch, and glue them to a piece of paper so they would fit in a nice 3-ring binder. Needless to say, the older brother was not pleased when he had found out what happened. Most notably, a Hank Aaron rookie card was one of the cards ruined. This card now sells for around $100,000. When I read this story for the first time, my heart sank because something extremely valuable was ruined because someone didn't know how to handle it properly.
We are the same way, except we are the valuable thing. Unfortunately, many times we are the culprits that take away our value. But God does not see us as we see ourselves. In God's eyes, we are what's holy and sacred. We are His prized possession, set apart from the beginning of the world. But too often, we cut ourselves down with sin. 1 Peter 1:15-16 says, "But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, '"You must be holy because I am holy."' We know that God is holy; the Bible goes to great lengths to prove that to us. But Peter is calling us all to be holy as God is holy. What a daunting task that is, and is it even possible?
The short answer is no; it's not possible to be as holy as God. But that's not what Peter is calling us to do. Peter is calling us to notice the holiness of God and exemplify it. God is like our teacher. He has told us He is perfect and holy and that we should be like Him, but thankfully God doesn't give this command and just walk away. He provides us with this command, then grabs our hand and helps us when we fall short. You see, our problem is we emphasize our role in becoming holy far more than we emphasize God's holiness. The only way we can obtain a hint of holiness is to be in union with God. God shows us His holiness, He corrects us when we slip up, and He brings us into His holiness so we can be holy like Him.
If you want to improve your holiness, you must realize that you are of value. God himself, the holiest of all, has set you apart and declared you as holy. Holiness requires a change in your mindset by focusing on God’s holiness. When we emphasize the holiness of God, it reveals his character. So, if you want to follow Peter’s command of being holy, start focusing on God and let His character show you how.