Watchers

Scripture – 1 Thessalonians 1:7-10 ⁷And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. ⁸The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, ⁹for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, ¹⁰and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

Reflection: What would the world look like if people used me as a model? What would that mean for their life and faith? Those are troubling questions. At the same time, they point to a reality of life. We do watch other people. And we are watched by other people.

So the question becomes, what do people see in me? As a community of faith, what do people see in us?

What’s crucial, I think, is not that I put on a front, but that I let Christ come alive in me and live through me in a way that’s real. For one thing people see is phoniness. I don’t need to be perfect. I do need to be authentic. If I am, people will see that, as well.

Lord Jesus, teach me to be who I am today – remembering you are part of who I am. Make me a model worth imitating.

Who will you watch today? Who might be watching you? What sort of report will they bring?