Friday, August 23, 2013

All Eyes On YOU

5 mile face.
While finishing up a 5 miler with Kaelin (I ran, he biked), I was striving to finish gracefully because I was flat out tired. I hadn't ran more than 3.5, 4 miles in a while so I was really ready to push the end button on my Nike+ app.

There was a lady strolling her baby toward us. As she got closer, I planned to run even more graceful, smile and greet her and finish strong. To my surprise, as we passed her she spoke. Excitedly. She said that she lived in our complex and had seen me run while I was pregnant and with the lil' people (I had a jogging stroller). She cheered us on, told us we were doing a good job and encouraged us to keep going.

Wow. Totally unexpected. I had never seen this lady before. But she has seen me.

I haven't been pregnant for 3 years! We just celebrated Manny's 3rd birthday.

Here's the point: Someone is always watching.

Whatever my reasons are for running, my exercise doesn't just affect me or those close to me. It affected this lady and it was evident by her excitement and possibly by her actions - she was out walking, exercising, with her baby. God allowed me to see firsthand how my actions affect others.

We have fun, though.

It's the same with our Christian walk.
Sometimes we'll see that people see us. Most times we won't.
Regardless, we have to consistently rep Christ.

You must endure. You must persevere. Not only for yourself, but for us!
Who is "us"? We who are watching YOU and being encouraged by your actions, gaining strength from your determination and replicating the love that we see you showing.

Even if you never know that someone saw you, they did.
Your walk is so important.
And if nobody sees you, God sees you. Let Him witness His Spirit working in you.

It's ok to fall. It's ok to fail. We are not perfect.
In those times, let's allow our faith to grow, our trust in a perfect God to flourish and our actions to reflect His love and grace.