What Will They Say When You Leave? {The Atlanta Journal-Constitution}

I spent my childhood summer vacations at my grandparents’ farm, located in a small fishermen village in South Brazil. The farm is by a breathtaking saltwater lake, which is one of the most significant sources of shrimp in south Brazil.

One of the most beautiful sceneries that I recall from those days was the sight of the lake at night. As you drove on the interstate beside it, the vision would fool any stranger to the area. One could swear that the lake was instead a village, filled with street lights. Around 5 p.m. each day, our neighbor fishermen would come by grandma’s house, carrying their nets in large wicker baskets, along with kerosene lamps that would go on the poles by their fishing site. One by one, the fishermen would set their trap to catch shrimp, using giant nets and a small kerosene lamp.

The fishermen in the village know it too well. The shrimp in that lake will not come unless the light attracts them. No light, no shrimp.

In the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus challenged his disciples to be fishers of men — something he reiterated in what is known as the Great Commission later in that chapter. His command in the Great Commission was that his disciples would spread the good news of salvation to the world. But in that first passage, when he called his followers to be fishers of men, Jesus’ words pierce a little deeper into our spiritual makeup. He challenges his followers to shine God’s light wherever they go so that they may attract people, not by their words alone, but by their acts of love.

I love God’s wisdom poured through this teaching. Like the fishermen in my childhood village, we cannot fish in the dark either. As a matter of fact, if our light does not shine wherever he plants us, people are more likely to flee, not flock, to the God we preach.

We cannot fish in the dark. As a matter of fact, if our light does not shine wherever He plants us, people are more likely to flee, not flock, to the God we preach. #MondayDevotional #MondayMotivation #Jesus Click To Tweet

I have seen it one too many times. Children of churchgoers (and even ministers) rebelling against God because their parents’ talk and their walk did not match. How many people cringe at the name of Jesus because they were around self-righteous Christians whose words did not translate into actions?

The apostle Paul said it this way in his letter to the Ephesians: “For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!”

For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! Ephesians 5:8 #MondayDevotional #MondayMotivation #Jesus Click To Tweet

Indeed, we should take this light-shining business seriously because the implications of having an unsavory and dim life can be devastating.

We may go to church every Sunday, serve on 10 committees, sing in the choir and teach, but if we come home and make our family life miserable because of an inconsistent walk, we will push the fish swimming near our nets away from God instead of closer to him. And what kind of Christian would I be at work, if I had verses hanging all over my cube, but was known as the office gossiper? Or did a careless job?

In 2012, I came across a beautiful song titled: “What will they say when you leave?” That was the year I had cancer only months before my brother-in-law died in a tragic accident. It was a truly challenging year for my family and me.

During that time, the reality that life is but a vapor challenged me like never before. It was also then that I often pondered the fact that, when life is over, everything that we strive so hard to acquire is left behind. Only the gestures that show that we care truly remain: the times we wipe tears away and kiss booboos. The times we said, “I love you.” The forgiveness we extend when someone hurts us. The smile that we offer when no one else seems to care. These little beacons of light are indeed the only meaningful heritage of our journey on earth.

When life is over, everything that we strive so hard to acquire is left behind. Only the gestures that show that we care truly remain. #MondayDevotional #MondayMotivation #Jesus Click To Tweet

“What will they say when you leave?” That’s a good question indeed.

I used to say that it did not matter what people thought about me, but that has changed through the years. In a sense, it does matter, for I hope that every time I leave a room or, ultimately, the day I leave this world, people will say that the Gospel I believed in and preached about reached past my words and into my daily walk.

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This article was originally published in Patricia’s Column for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Saturday – December 8, 2019. Find it here: AJC Website