What is Godliness?

When I was newly saved at 21 years old, I thought godliness meant serving Jesus perfectly, which fit my perfectionistic personality completely!

When I became a mom at 30, I defined godliness as being the best parent possible and tried to raise my children to obey Jesus.

But now that I am 55 and have walked with Jesus for over 34 years, I recognize that godliness is not something we “do.” It is something the Holy Spirit does within us over time to make us more like Jesus—and we will reflect those changes through our words, actions, attitudes, and attributes that glorify Jesus.

How did you define godliness at the beginning of your relationship with Jesus compared to now? I would love to hear about it in the comments.