Speak. Praise. Love.

"I've been watching you for months. Sort of testing you. You know, trying to figure out if you really are who you SAY you are," my new friend shared openly. "You really do live for Christ. And it has helped me to wake up from my spiritual slumber." she said smiling.

Her words hung boldly in the air as their truth hit me between the eyes. While I rejoiced in her candid honesty, the words of my friend filled me with quiet trepidation. For while she saw the best in me, I was now keenly aware of my many human frailties.

Some days, I am the best version of myself. Others, I am impatient and self-absorbed. In fact, the painful truth is, I fail more than I succeed. My friend's revelation served as a humbling reminder that I am "Christ's ambassador" and through me, He makes His appeal. (2 Corinthians 5:20 NIV)

When I watch the news, or listen to the heated dialogue of the cultural climate today, I am overwhelmed by the task ahead of Christ's faithful. Everyday, someone is watching. Waiting. Wanting us to fail. Sometimes, it appears that believers are given very little margin for error.

But, when I take my eyes off myself, and place my focus on my Savior, my inhibitions fade. After all, my missteps are irrelevant compared to the power of Christ in me. For, "the life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20 NIV) Therefore, in word and deed, I strive to introduce the world to my Jesus.

I speak for "my lips have been anointed with grace". (Psalm 45:2 NIV)

I remember to "praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me". (Psalm 103:2 NLT)

And I strive to "do everything in love". (1 Corinthians 16:14 NIV)

It's quite simple, really. This life is not about me. It's about the one who lives in me. So, today, I speak. I praise. I love. And I remember...somewhere, somebody is watching.