WHAT DO THEY SEE?

An instructor was trying to encourage his class to be creative. He carefully cut a piece of white paper into a perfect square and held it up before the class. All eyes were focused on the sheet of paper when he asked the question, “What do you see?”

No one said a sheet of white paper, a square, something to write a letter or assignment on or a blank page for a book. The entire class said, “A black spot.” In the left corner of the square was a tiny, black speck. Their focus was on the flaw – not the square.

Most of us seem to look for things that are wrong or improper, incorrect or out of place. It comes with our nature – it’s part of who we are. For whatever reason, we try to discover anything about anybody that is not perfect. Or, might it be that we are trying to justify what is not “right” about ourselves by seeing what is “wrong” in others?

There is an important message here for every Christian. Peter wrote, “Make every effort to live a pure and blameless life.” What great advice. How would we live or act if we were always conscious of the fact that we, as Christians, are always being evaluated by what we do or say by those who are not Christians? The world looks at us differently because of who we claim to be. And, like it or not, they have every reason to do so. We will never be perfect in this world, but we can be careful. What we do speaks louder than what we say!

Prayer: Help us, Lord, to be on guard for that “little spot” that destroys our witness and damages Your name. May we be ever careful to represent You well!  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today:      And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight. 2 Peter 3:14