who's watching?

Here in NZ at the moment there is a competition running where if you are snapped holding a specially marked water bottle by a mystery photographer you could win $10,000. A local girl has already been one of the receipents of this competition and with at leeast 4 weeks to go there has been great excitement about the possible windfall. I have one such bottle and being an avid water drinker I'm happy to contain my water in a specially marked bottle.

But it got me thinking about differently we might act if we know that someone might be wathing us. No doubt there are people who wouldnt normally carry around these bottles, but due to the possiblity of 'being snapped' they will gladly do so, untl the competition ends.

I have been guilty at times of acting differently if I think someone is watching me....the eagle-eyed teacher, pretending to be busy reading at her desk, the guy at school who everyone thought was cute, the sporting scout who turned up to watch a game....we look busy, smile sweeter or play harder when we think that someone is observing our actions.

I must confess Ive also been guilty in the past of being a better "christian" when I thought I was being watched by others. I know Im not the first or last person to sucumb to this. Bill Hybels even titled a book "who you are when no-one is watching". It's not who we are in public, or on the stage that defines who we are. Its who we are when noone is watching that reveals our true colours....no one that is except Jesus. Jesus is always watching, always wanting to engage with us, always calling us on.

I want to be the same on the stage, as in public as in the quiet places in my soul. I want to be like Jesus. I want to be honest with him and with myself at all times. I don't want to be motivated by the thought that he might be watching, but motivated out of my love and desire to give my all to him.

...and if someone else happens to be watching I hope that they see Jesus in me.

a time for grace

So right now I'm feelinlg pretty fragile. I just found out some news about some people very close to me and I feel absolutely helpless. I don't know what to say, what to do, how to make this better. I want to fix it and fix it now...but I can't. I can't make them change, nor can I demand that God do so. I know that they must come to that place of surrender themselves. But as someone who loves them, it is hard to stand by and do nothing. But I realised as I lay in bed blubbering about it, that I can do something...I can pray and keep on praying until I see God's grace transforming their situation and their hearts. I raced to my bible and looked up a bible reference that popped into my head. The moment I read the words in those verses I blubbered some more. It was like those verses were written just for me, and just for this situation at this time. If no one in all of history got anything out of those verses ever again that's ok, because for me at this moment they have given me hope, and peace and faith to believe that God's transforming grace is greater than any challenge I or those I love will ever face. I am reminded when I think about grace that "there but for the grace of God go I".

Please pray for my 2 loved ones.....God knows their names, and their situation and I would appreciate all the prayer support I can get at the moment.

drinking of God's grace, Shar xx