Who we are when noone is looking.

This week has been a very busy couple of days...VERY busy.  I have spent the majority of my time working on the production room; I really want to get that thing finished.  If we can imagine it, I think we have the talent to pull it off, so please throw out any and all suggestions or ideas you may have about the UpStreet environment.  We will pay top dollar for a good idea and give you an award if we use it.  Thats Baptist for "We'll give you a coupon for Chubby's and thank you as you walk by in the crowd". 

 Anyway...

While I worked, I really began to think about how important it was to be 100% committed to our task, 100% of the time. If not, we could easily miss an opportunity to impact someones life, or worse, ruin how others view us because of bad decision or action we should not have taken.  

For example; what would happen if one Sunday morning while I'm working in the UpStreet theater, thinking I am all alone, I chose to play music that was full of bad language and violence, (much like the content that unfortunately fills so much of our music today) and a new visitor walked in to check out Upstreet?  The result would probably be that nothing I said or did after that would make them feel like they should trust their kids to me.  Or.....what if a small group leader was out by themselves at, lets say, Wal-Mart? Not realizing that a kid was watching them, they chose to take something and put it in their pocket, cause they think no one will see them.  Whoever saw him do it now knows that that small group leader doesn't really believe our bottom line that "I should choose to make the wise choice".  So that kids never gonna believe it themselves.  

There was a book written once called Who You Are When No One's Looking.  That's an awesome thought to remember for all of us.  The person who is all alone, with nobody around to impress, or behave for, or act like or whatever.  When there is nobody around to praise you, correct you, or punish you for your actions, that's the real you.  

And guess what...that is the you that Jesus knows.  

That's the me that Jesus knows. 

I hope you and Jesus see the same person.