Today’s Devotional Written By My Strong And Courageous Daughter: Mrs. Tracy A. Dixon
What Do They See?
Matthew 5:14-16 New Living Translation (NLT)
14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
Today’s message in the music comes from the title of Fantasia’s song “When I See You”. There is a very important young lady in my life, who is going through some very big transitions within her family circle. I try my best to call her at least once a day just to check up on her and see how things are going. At times it seems that she is stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to her mother and father and feeling where she actually belongs. Her mother is known, in her eyes, to be one who leaves a lot and her father, in her eyes, is seen as one who drinks a lot. Does she truly no all that is going on, no I doubt it, but what worries me is the example being set before her in these impressionable years.
Almost any and every conversation I have with this young lady leads to her father’s dependency on alcohol or her mother’s need to leave the scene. I am amazed at how much she notices, how much she observes. We could be taking about the funniest thing, and somehow she will manage to throw out a sarcastic comment that lets me know these two elements in her life are affecting beyond the surface. It’s sad because the behaviors are displayed in every range of emotion in front of her. In her eyes, if her father is happy he has a drink in his. If he is sad, angry or depressed, he has a drink in his hand. The same is true in her eyes, concerning her mother: she leaves whether happy, mad or sad. I think to myself at times, do they know the impact they would have on this child if they truly turned to God. What message would she receive if her dad praised God when he was happy, then doubled back and praised him even more when he was hurt or upset? What standard would she have to see her mother run to the house of the Lord in good times and bad?
The same is true for babes in Christ. They are watching us older ones to see how it’s supposed to be done. Are we showing them the right way or the wrong way to live for Christ. No we won’t always get it right, but are we striving to do better ourselves. Are we living the word in our daily lives, or just giving God and His people really good lip service. We never know who God has assigned to look up to us to be their example, and that’s why we have to decide to go all the way or none or all. Don’t lead someone to hell in the name of Lord. When God sees us, He sees right to the very core of who we really are. When the world sees us, is it the same portrait or just a really good imitation?
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