Examples as Clear as the Setting Sun

Sun Setting over the Atlantic Ocean

April 2010

1 Timothy 4:12 NIV

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."

Teri and I lay side by side on my top bunk. We took turns looking out the rear window of our bedroom through a pair of cheap binoculars we owned. 

We were around six and eight years old, so our after hours activity exhilarated us. The trick was to whisper and giggle quietly so our folks didn't hear us. If they returned to see what we were up to, I think spankings might have been in our future.

Once our parents tucked us in and gave us a kiss for the night, Teri climbed from her bed onto mine, and we became secret agents, spying on anyone we could out back our house.  

Although it'd be several years before I'd watch Jimmy Stewart's famous movie, Rear Window, Teri and I acted the role of his character. We observed the world outside our window through the binoculars.

We longed to escape our prison of a room and explore what we witnessed, but we couldn't. Instead, we became nocturnal secret agent voyeurs.

We never once considered our actions an invasion of privacy, and truth be told, we rarely saw anything except passing cars on the road behind our house. We simply played a game. The only concern we had was being discovered by our parents up past our bedtime.

This story reminds me someone is always potentially watching me. I need to be aware of my conduct. If I present myself as a Christian role model, then I need to live this role all the time. I don't want to present myself as a hypocrite.  

I know with certainty God watches me all the time, and He also has the additional insight of hearing my thoughts.

For me, I think that is toughest--controlling my thoughts. It's easy to get down in the dumps on the inside. I can talk a good game to others, but as for myself, my "Thought Closet," as Jennifer Rothschild calls it, still needs work.

I am too quick to be self-critical. At times I hold myself to impossible standards. I have to learn to let God take control of my negative attitudes.

I also need to consider my actions so those who observe me can immediately discern what I stand for in life.

They shouldn't need binoculars, either. My actions should speak as clearly as a setting sun over the Atlantic ocean on a spring day.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Lord, I want the world to know I am your child in my thoughts, words, and actions.