Have you ever felt like someone was watching you in a crowd? Have you ever watched someone out in public that you found amusing? Have you ever thought your kids weren't paying any attention only to have one of them do exactly what you taught them to do and showed them by example?
People are watching all the time. Some folks watch for the wrong reasons, maybe to judge another or in hopes of catching one little tiny wrong to justify their own feelings about a person. Sometimes though they are watching you to see if you are real and if they can trust you to help them with direction. If you are a Christian, they may be curious about the God you say you serve and want to see if your actions line up with your words. I think this should be easy to relay to a curious heart, but it is sadly not always easy. I fall short many times. I cannot count the times that I know I have been a poor witness and an unworthy lead. Over and over I have had to apologize to the Lord for my actions when they were less than what I knew God wanted from me.
Once, I had a friend that didn't know the Lord. I was a kid and would ask her to come to church with us each Sunday. She went and she now knows the Lord and is a Christian lady! When she came to know Jesus, I asked her what made the difference and she said it was all the times that my folks came and picked her up on Sunday for church! Wow! She was watching!! It was nothing we did,I just wanted to take a friend, but she was wanting to see something and I guess we got to show her and didn't even know we were doing it. Her heart was being drawn by God!
I have watched people and wanted to be like them before. I have watched people and DID NOT want to be like them. Working at a school, I find that kids are watching how we adults do things all the time. When we are respectful to them, it comes back to us. It is very predictable because when we aren't respectful of those around us, they aren't either. In our home, if one of us is grumpy, the kids pick up on it and sometimes the whole house becomes a grouch!
The Bible says in Matthew 26:41, "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation." Why is it important not to fall into temptation (to cuss, to drink, to lie, to cheat, to steal etc...)? Because, there are little ones eyes, coworkers eyes, folks in your churches eyes, critics eyes and your family's eyes watching YOU! You never know what a difference that you can make by simply beginning to look at the words you are saying, or pay attention to the places you go for fun. If you are wanting to lead others to the foot of the cross where they can meet a Savior full of forgiveness and love for them, you have to begin to pay attention! I had gotten away from that very thing. I was doing my own thing not hurting anyone (I thought!) walking along and God said, "Wow, look at the words you have coming out of your mouth!" Those words were tearing down, not building up. That habit has been hard to break! I had always heard, "Words once spoken have a life all their own!" That is so true! Proverbs 16:24 says, "Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." If this is true, then the opposite is true also. If we speak harshly or crudely, it grows bitterness and sickness to the bones. When we do that, all of the folks watching us see that and turn away. After all, what do we offer other than the same old thing they are used to in the life they already live.
As I write this, I am taking a look at myself even closer and it kinda hurts I have to say!! I want more than anything to please God and be a light to others and I limp around like a runner with a sprained ankle. I do fairly well, but I am not taking care of my walk enough to make it stronger and make my run smooth....and certainly no one wants to follow a slow runner!! Is this you too? Anyone out there feel like this ever? I think I will make a plan to work on myself this next week starting today! If you see me out and about and I am faltering, will you please, in love, remind me of who I belong to and that I promised to make a better effort this week?? I don't want you to watch me if I am falling repeatedly, I want help so we can together grow stronger!!!
Have a wonderful week and remember that there is somebody...maybe several somebodies watching you! What are you showing them? Where are you leading them? What are they learning from you? God Bless you! Lori
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