Loving God Is Not Claiming To Be a Godly Person

Loving God Is Not Claiming to Be a Godly Person

I was told by a person that they thought I was a godly person, and then criticized for failing to live up to an image that was placed on me, not chosen by me.

That accusation troubled me, not because I believe I am beyond correction, but because I never claimed that title in the first place. I would not. To me, claiming to be a godly person in the sense of moral arrival or spiritual authority edges too close to something Christ never modeled and Scripture warns against. Personally, that term borders on the blasphemy.

I do not claim to be godly.
I claim to love God and to want to please Him.

Those are not the same thing.

What I Mean When I Say “Godly Person”

When I hear the phrase godly person used as a label, it often carries an expectation of visible righteousness, emotional restraint, moral predictability, or spiritual availability. It suggests someone whose behavior can be observed, evaluated, and corrected by others. It falls in line with, “I thought they were a good Christian.” Does anyone really have a finite definition of what that means when so many people can’t even agree on a Christian denomination?

To me, claiming to be a godly person or labeling yourself as a good Christian risks confusing devotion with divinity, or at least with authority. It implies that one’s actions should consistently align with other people’s expectations of faith.

That posture feels incompatible with the humility Christ modeled.

What I Actually Claim

What I claim is simpler and far more honest.

I love God.
I want to please Him.
I want my life to move in His direction.

That is not a statement of success. It is a statement of desire.

Loving God does not place me above error. It makes me more aware of it. Wanting to please God does not guarantee that my choices will always appear “right” to others. It means I return to reflection, correction, and grace when I fall short.

If anything, loving God increases accountability to God, not performative accountability to people.

The Expectations Placed on Believers

Often, people expect those who love God to behave in specific, predictable ways.

Be more patient.
Be more forgiving.
Be endlessly available.
Be calm, accommodating, gentle, agreeable.

These expectations are rarely named, but they are deeply felt. And they often come with the assumption that faith requires constant emotional labor on demand.

Even if I wanted to meet every expectation placed on me because of what I believe, I could not always do so without violating my own boundaries, discernment, or sense of integrity.

And sometimes, quite simply, I do not have the energy or the emotional wherewithal.

Faith does not turn us into performing seals, trained to respond on cue to other people’s comfort or approval.

Christ and the Myth of Religious Performance

Jesus did not perform righteousness to meet expectations. He withdrew when He needed rest. He set boundaries. He disappointed people who wanted more access, more miracles, more explanations.

He loved fully, but He did not make Himself endlessly consumable.

If Christ Himself refused to live according to the demands placed on Him, it is neither faithful nor realistic to expect that of those who follow Him.

When Faith Becomes a Burden Rather Than a Guide

Being judged for failing to act like someone else’s version of a godly person reveals more about their expectations than about one’s faith.

Faith that demands constant output, emotional compliance, or moral theater is not contemplative. It is transactional.

Loving God does not require me to override my limits. It calls me to honesty, humility, and discernment.

My Personal Reflection

As I reflect on this, I recognize how intentional I must be about protecting the heart of my faith.

I do not want it shaped by external pressure.
I do not want it reduced to behavior management.
I do not want it used as a measuring stick against my humanity.

I am human. I tire. I choose my boundaries carefully. I do not always have the strength to be what others expect, even when those expectations are wrapped in religious language.

That does not make my faith false. It makes it real.

A Closing Thought for Contemplative Faith

A godly person, if such a thing can be named at all, would never be one who performs holiness for others.

Loving God is not a claim of arrival. It is a commitment to direction.

I will continue to say what I mean and mean what I say:
I love God, and I want to please Him.

I am not here to perform. I am here to walk faithfully, imperfectly, and honestly.