Monday, November 26, 2007

Representing Christ




"But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do." James 2: 18

I was out to a brunch with my mom and Carter recently. As we left, a man held the door open for us all, and Carter rushed out mumbling something that sounded very similar to, "scuz me". I dismissed it right away as a coincidence, but my mom asked, "When did he start saying, 'excuse me'?" I started to pay more attention to this phrase when I heard Carter say it. Indeed, when he goes through a crowded doorway or squeezes by something tight, he says, "excuse me." He was saying it to the dishwasher the other evening, as he squeezed between the dishwasher's open door and the kitchen island. The odd part of this phenomenon is that I NEVER have intentionally taught Carter to say excuse me. I have mentioned it occasionally when he burps in public, but he still doesn't repeat it on those occasions. This led me to realize that Carter learned this phrase through modeling and my example.



Before anyone pats me on the back, however, I have to confess that my "excuse me" phrases are usually said with a drip of sarcasm and impatience whenever anyone is blocking the middle of an aisle with a shopping cart or their bodies. It is my "nice" way of reminding them they are blocking everyone trying to get through. Carter doesn't know this, luckily, and he is using it correctly--asking people to excuse HIM.



Panic set in as I realized the power my actions had on this little boy I constantly have next to me. He sees me groan in frustration at traffic, he sees me laugh at funny stories, he sees me singing praise songs to Jesus, he watches me pray with gratitude to God for blessings throughout the day and he sees me roll my eyes when I am not being loving. Everything I do is soaking into his thoughts and behavior. If I truly realize the depth of this responsibility, I would be on my knees, asking God to strengthen my fight against sin and to increase my desires and modeling of righteousness.



The truth is that we all have eyes and ears absorbing our every action and word. We often forget the influence we claim over others, but we represent Christ to the world. Our co-workers hear us gossiping or encouraging. Family members see us pouting in anger or hugging in forgiveness. Members at our church see us serving the body of Christ or hear us making another excuse as to why our needs take priority over those of the people at church. Our neighbors see us smile and wave with sincerity, perhaps even taking time to converse; or they see us quickly usher our kids into the house as we close the garage door. Our actions demonstrate Christ to others, and they are watching.



It took a 20 month old boy learning a habit of mine to remind me that I influence the actions, words and thoughts of others. I can use this influence in a positive, godly way, or I can let sinful actions taint all my efforts to point to Christ. Who do you influence on a regular basis? Are you representing our holy Christ well or are you conforming to the patterns of a sinful world? Start fresh today and model the righteousness of Christ in your own life! People may come to know our Savior through the words and actions you demonstrate.



"We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God." 2 Corinthians 5:20

8 comments:

Drew & Erica said...

Thanks for the great reminder...I like how you said 'Start fresh today'. I don't have kids, but this is also so practical in the workplace :)

Tall Tale of a Teacher! said...

I think encouraging one another as moms is such an important thing when it comes to this. We are truly shepards to our children. They see God's love through us. I too don't realize how much they take in until I see myself like a mirror imagine in them. Part of our mission as moms (and dads) is to be that example. To show our kids what it truly means to be a Christ follower. Thank you Chiara for the reminder to pray about being that example!

Anonymous said...

This is a test to see if I can sign in. Mom

Anonymous said...

Chiara, I thought of how we are to be more Christ-like as we live our lives day in and day out. Unfortunately, we have to be like Carter, focused on the one we hope to emulate. Sadly, we don't make the effort to emulate Christ as often as we should. Unlike Carter who, albeit subconsciously, is looking to learn and mimic mommy or daddy, we aren't always humble enough to see our need to do likewise with Christ. This should give us pause as we realize we are new creations in Christ. As new creations, are we allowing the Holy Spirit to help us to mimic Christ accurately? As for me, thanks to my sweet grandson's reminder, let me be like the little child, willing and eager to learn. Love, Mom

Ryan Hawley said...

Despite all of his "scuze me's" I never have seen the dishwasher move for him...

Anonymous said...

It never fails...my kids will humble me in a heartbeat when it comes to doing what is true, noble, right, pure! They are my Holy Spirit many times throughout my day and I'm grateful that the Lord uses my blessings to be a blessing unto me! Thanks for the reminder Chiara!!

Sarah Cox said...

Your post is a wonderful reminder to me. It encourages me to be mindful of my every move with my children. But beyond that, as you said, we are Living Ambassadors for Christ. We have a responsibility, whether we like it or not. We are being witnesses to the world...it just varies what kind of witness we will be.

Thanks for the reminder.

Shannon said...

After reading this, I think I am going to make an effort to talk with my neighbors today. I'm really bad at hurrying inside and closing the garage door--and I don't even have kids! Thanks for the reminder that we are all influencing someone in one way or another...