Get down off there or I am going to beat you.
If you don't knock it off your going to go in the basement.
Get out of the cupboard you know better than that.
No, you can''t go outside something terrible will happen to you.
If I catch you in the food again your going to be sorry.
You're such a brat.
If she hits him he has it coming.
Good, you had it coming.
If you were going through a neighborhood and heard those statements what would you think?
It sounds bad doesn't it?
I know I would be horrified. But these words are heard in my home.
I have a cat, and he enjoys being naughty. Jumping up on the coffee table knocking things off with his tail one at a time until everything is gone and then leaving, chasing the older kitties through the house, eating the roses in the middle of the table, are just some examples of his antics.
He is full of antics, and gets caught doing things almost daily that he shouldn't.
Now, you know, I am not a terrible parent. In fact, I yell at the cat more in one day than all my kids combined in a month.
I know I shouldn't do it, but the shock of catching him doing things, indeed makes me yell, and he is constantly full of surprises.
Just as my words and actions towards the cat sound really bad and can be misinterpreted by someone who isn't aware of what is going on, the same thing can happen as a Christian.
The witness that I give is weighed for good or bad by others and can be one of victory or of empty religion.
Are my words and actions a testimony of who I am in Christ or is it fodder for those who want a reason to not turn to the Lord.
As a Christian my behavior is always being taken into account.
Sometimes, by family, and, sometimes,
by strangers who I will never see again, yet it still leaves a mark.
The question is, what is the mark that is going to be left?
1 Peter 3:2-4 when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.
Read more articles by Lisa Kurasz or search for articles on the same topic or others.
Lisa, this is what I call taking something that has happened in your life and using it to make a point later. I say that if a person does not profit by his/her experiences in life, that person is missing a blessing. Your experiences are being blessings to us, the readers, and I for one really appreciate that. God bless.
