But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. 1 Peter 2:9
Last week we looked at who we are to listen to and hear from. Sometimes though we ask ourselves, are we really being heard or seen by other folks as we strive so hard to set a good example (Matt 5:13-16) or as we try to get them to give ear to the gospel (Matt 28:18-20)? It seems as though most of the time our efforts go unnoticed and unappreciated. While that may be true in many instances it often is not the case.
The first moment I realized we are observed more than we think came several years ago for me. My parents took my brother and I furniture shopping with them when we were teenagers. We went to a huge warehouse in Chattanooga with hundreds of people on sight. As they shopped, a gentleman approached Dale and they had a lengthy and rather detailed discussion about the upcoming BCHS basketball season as he was on the team. After the man left I asked, “who was that?” and Dale replied, “I have no idea, but he sure knew a lot about me and my team”. Finally, our parents made the necessary purchase and instead of paying a delivery fee we came home and Daddy and Dale gathered up his truck and utility trailer and went back. The young man who loaded the furniture asked them “do you guys have anyone to help you?” They told him I was home and would help. The young man said, “I remember now, he’s a pretty big guy, y’all will be fine”. Several hours had passed. How many hundreds or thousands of people had passed through that sale? Yet this fellow remembered a good bit about me. All those sermons I had heard about our lives being an example came pouring back. Then the realization of, if strangers see this much, then how impactful are we to those we meet daily? This was definitely an awakening moment for a teenage boy.
I have shared this many times and will continue to share this story. The truth is how we present ourselves really matters. I recently read a statement along the lines of “sharing the Bible with others is great but it only helps if you treat them accordingly”. In short, we really do matter in this big world we live in. We do impact people’s lives often without even realizing it. Let’s all resolve in the upcoming year to become a stronger ambassador for Christ (Eph 6:20) by being a good example in word and deed (Col 3:17) and consistently doing good to all (Gal 6:10).
By Jason Barger