One Chance

Dear beloved, 

Can you think of how many times you have heard/said the phrase, "Such a small world!" We say this when we see a past friend in an unlikely place. Or when your 2nd cousin starts dating one of your church friends. The moments like those make the world seem so small.  

I say all of that to point out that the world isn't small at all. How many people do you see in a store that you will never see again? How many cars do you pass on a highway that you won't ever cross paths with again? 

Another saying I'm going to point out is, "Your first impression matters." I have always thought that first impressions were pointless. I mean, why does my future depend on my first day of school outfit. What I wear and how I talk has nothing to do with who I am. 

I had it both right and wrong. How you present yourself matters just, not in the way that we think. It's not about walking in wearing the freshest kicks and holding the newest phone. It's about how you present Jesus in the way you walk. It's not about talking a specific way to pass as a professional. It's about how you show Jesus through your speech. You see, your first impression matters because it could very possibly be the last. 

1 John 2:4-6 says, "If someone claims, 'I know God,' but doesn't obey God's commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in truth. But those who obey God's word truly show how completely they love Him. That is how they know we are living in Him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did."

If you read any one of the Gospel books, you can see that Jesus did everything out of love, and people could tell. God walked with love. He spoke with love. And last time I checked, rolling your eyes at crying babies in grocery stores isn't exactly love. Especially considering we don't know why. 

As Christians, we know what it's like when people assume things about us. We can not go about our day as if we know everything about everyone. It shows when we do. Whether it's at a park, a store, a parking lot, a cafeteria, work, school, church, a pastors convention, we have no idea what is going on in the lives of the people around us. We have no idea the situation of their home lives or their past. We don't know the battles that they are facing. However, we do know that Jesus loves them without a doubt. News flash... He didn't die for only you. As Christians, it's time to act like it. 

We need to present ourselves as people of Christ because we don't know who is watching. You could very possibly be the first person to show a stranger the love of God. That impression matters.