Walk the Talk

This week, I was thinking about my faith. I hear all of the time that people

should know Christians by the way we carry ourselves…by how we act and how we treat others. So that got me to thinking.  What qualities do I want to have that would point people to God? I know I can easily refer to the fruit of the Spirit to get my answer. Case closed. God already told me, right? Well, sometimes don't you need to take things down a notch?  Start small? So, I started making a list. Foolish, I know. How can I try and wrap up God in 3 key points?  Just to make it a little more inconceivable, I thought I would keep it short. Goodness knows that mastering 3 would be a stretch. 

I want to exhibit peace. I want the kind of peace that God describes in the Bible. I came across a quote from Zig Ziglar. It said, “A day of worry is more exhausting than a week of work.”  Haven't you felt that kind of exhaustion before? I know I have. God doesn't want me to live like that. It doesn’t mean that life won’t hit, push and press me. It doesn’t mean that I’m never expected to worry, be afraid, be angry, be sad or confused.  Peace means that I choose to hand those emotions over to God and trust that He will either handle the situation Himself or equip me to take care of it.  My level of peace is dependent on my level of trust.

I want to show joy. Joy isn't throwing jokes around everywhere I go. However, I have to say that I do love a good joke.  I value a good sense of humor. In fact, there is often a competition in my family as to who is the 2nd funniest...with me being the funniest, of course. With the people I work with, there are so many funny folks on staff that I refuse to rank everyone because I know I will not come in 1st...or 2nd...or maybe even 3rd. The kind of joy I'm talking about is embracing life with anticipation and gusto. It’s being excited about the day and the possibilities God brings my way. It’s acknowledging and savoring the moments I see Him working.  My joy is an outward expression of the level of peace that Christ brings to my life.

I want to extend kindness. God calls us to love Him and to love others. Sometimes, the word love can be a little generic.  We tend to over use it. I think love means being kind to people:  taking the time to go out of my way to help someone, to spend time with them or to encourage them. That's a big one for me because I usually have a task list and agenda that is my priority, but kindness isn't something that can be scheduled or manufactured. Can't you just see it? "Excuse me. Can I help you with that for the next 2.5 minutes because after that I need to get back to...?" You may think I'm kidding, but that's real life.

I praise God who continues to grow and expand my concept of who He is and how He wants to work in my life.  I embrace the Holy Spirit who never gets tired of tapping me on the shoulder to remind me what's really important and I hope that when others see me they won't have to guess Who I follow.