Representatives of Christ

And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father.  Colossians 3:17

Whether we realize it or not, our children watch very closely our actions.  I always knew when things got quiet that my children were up to something, which is a skill that most mothers learn the hard way.  One particular day, I discovered my three-year old daughter playing in my makeup.  It seems that without my realizing it, she had been observing the proper method of applying mascara.  The evidence was all over her beautiful little face.  Although not applied correctly, she had attempted what she saw Mommy do every morning.  She had watched me close enough that she knew exactly where mascara belonged.  She had managed to apply it in the general area of her eyes, but as you can imagine, she looked like a little raccoon caught in the headlights.  I suddenly realized that my children are very aware of my actions, and I must be careful of the things I do and say.

When we accept Jesus, we become His representative.  A representative shares the heart of whom they represent rather than their own selfish desires.  We must fill our thoughts and actions with Christ’s attitude.  Just as our children watch what we do, our non-Christian friends are observing how we react in everyday situations.  We must exhibit Christ-like attitudes in all that we do if we hope to lead others to Christ.  Others are constantly watching us to see what, if anything is different about our lives.  None of us is perfect, but we must always guard our thoughts and actions against evil.  Most of my life I have heard the phrase, “you may be the only Jesus some will ever see”.  If we display the same negative qualities of non-Christians, we are impairing our witness for Christ.

It is possible, however, to be so mindful of what we do that we do it more for man than God.  We should never do something just because we know others are watching.  This brings recognition only to ourselves.  The most effective way to be a representative of the Lord is to be mindful of the fact that others are watching, while focusing on striving to do what God wants as we try to glorify only Him.