People are watching you.

People are watching you. All the time, no matter where you go, there are eyes on you. (no, this is not another GEICO commercial with an animated stack of money and creepy eyes). I've been reminded of this truth many times in my life--as a young high schooler, as an athlete, as a coach, as a minister, and as a father and husband. Somehow, it seems when you choose to follow Christ, the "viewing" becomes more intense as the world watches to see how real this Jesus is.

On many occasions, it is a desperate attempt to catch you doing wrong so that they can shout very loudly, "See, Christians are just like every body else." Let me set your mind at ease. The Bible has already told us that. All of us stand in need of forgiveness and grace. All of us.

On other occasions, though, I find that the people who are watching are genuinely desiring to see if there is something different about this faith we profess and how it changes us. They want to have hope, peace, love and purpose--all of which are found in true Christ followers. So...they keep watching.

I thought about this last night as I re-told the story of David and Goliath to our teenagers at the Youth Bible Study. This thought struck me. Have you ever thought much about this famous confrontation? Did the guys who lined the Philistine hillside that day watch to see how David would act? Young teen boy faces nine foot tall champion with no weapons, no armor, no back up and...NO fear. Were there any Philistines who asked about this God as they watched David's courage? Were there any who were changed because of what they saw that day?

We may never know the answer to that question this side of heaven but I can tell you this--people can be changed by watching you. And not always in a good way. Your life has the power to attract people to God as well as the ability to drive them far away. Make no mistake, they are watching you. What they see depends on the true condition of your heart.