Do you have children? The greatest thing about children is the way they soak everything in like a sponge. They learn best by doing and they love to do. I saw a commercial last night that demonstrated this concept completely.
Two little girls, approximately 4 and 6 years old, were in the bathroom watching their mother put on her morning face cream. Later in the commercial, you realize it was anti-wrinkle cream she was using. One of the girls asks her mother “Does it really work?” The mother smiles lovingly at her daughter and replies “Yes.” The next thing you see is grandpa asleep on the sofa. The girls are on either side of him and they are applying the wrinkle cream generously to his face. The littlest one is using a spatula. His face is so coated with cream it looks like a mask. The girls are talking quietly as they work. “Grandpa is going to be so excited when he wakes up.” Then the other one smiles and says “His face is going to look like a newborn baby.” I cracked up, because that could have happened in my house when my children were little. They were always watching what we did, asking questions about it and wanting to try it.
As believers we need to remember not only are little eyes watching us and mimicking us, but we also have teenagers and adults watching us. Some are watching and waiting for us to mess up so they can’t point out how we’re no different than the world. Others are watching, hoping we don’t mess up, so they can put their faith in something that is real. Paul understood this as he spoke to the church of Ephesus in Ephesians 5:1-2 “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” We are to follow after Christ with great passion, not wavering to the left or right, so if others follow us, we could step aside and the followers would be following Christ. We don’t want to lead another astray or cause them to stumble in their walk [1 Corinthians 10:32].
In our culture, people are constantly trying to fit in the crowd. We aren’t called to fit in. We’re called to stand out [Matthew 5:14]. If we’re following a crowd, then the path must be large, but Christ is clear about the path we are to take. Matthew 7:13-14 says “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
People are watching. We’re all called to lead others, whether we realize it or not. Be one who leads others to life.