Dear Through others eyes,

What do people see when they look at you?

Most of the time we are told that we are not supposed to worry about other people’s opinions of us, but this is a little different. A more specific way of asking this question is, Does your life reflect total abandonment/surrender to Christ? or does it resemble the world and its cultural norms?

For many years, I simply desired to fit in with those around me. I didn’t want to stand out or seem different in any way that would cause someone to stare at me. I was your typical wallflower that melted into the woodwork and never wished to be discovered. But as I started to grow up, I slowly realized that those around me were not following what God had designed for His children to do. They weren’t doing anything necessarily bad, but they weren’t trying to show Christ in their lives either.

How many times do we as Christians not want to look different than the world? Now, we won’t necessarily say that out loud or even admit it to ourselves. But don’t we often times decide to do the things that make sure that we don’t seem different? When we go to the store, we avoid eye contact with strangers just so we don’t have to talk to them, preventing us from feeling uncomfortable because we know we should probably hand them a tract or give them the gospel.

Or what about when we spend time with friends? Do we try to look like we are crazy party animals with no control? or can they see that there is something different with your group of friends and wonder why? One way can open up an opportunity to share your faith, while the other can make someone feel uncomfortable and not want anything to do with you or your group. Which one are you?

I had to make a decision for myself and my life whether I wanted the world to see Christ in me or if I was going to be a Christian only in name. And I decided that I didn’t want to reflect only tokenism towards following Jesus. I wanted an actual relationship with Him and I wanted the world to see that I was different. I desired to make a difference in the world around me and the people in it through my life-changing commitment to Christ.

But… I do have to say that this decision not only changed my life for Christ, it also affected my friendships. It ended up costing me a lot. Why? because a lot of the kids I grew up with, in church, did not want the same life-changing commitment to God that I did. They chose to only be Christian in name, not in lifestyle. Seeing them make these decisions was and is very heartbreaking, but that is a choice that I know everyone needs to make individually.

I don’t want people to look at me and wonder if I am really a Christian, I want them to know. Even if that means I have to separate myself from things or people that don’t want the same things.

It has now been many years since I made this decision and I cannot express in words the amazing things that God has done in my life. I have opened a small business, that was clearly orchestrated by God, and I have been able to openly share His amazing story with everyone that comes through my door. I get to live a life of joy in sharing my faith and testimony every single day. I don’t have a big fancy house or a new car, but I have peace and joy knowing that I made the right decision when I was in high school. Yes, I chose to dedicate my life to Christ my senior year of high school. It doesn’t matter how old you are, you need to make the decision for yourself.

So let me ask you again. What do people see when they look at you?

                                                                             Signing off,
                                                                             Tami