I spent my childhood summer vacations at my grandparents’ farm, located in a small fishermen’s village in South Brazil. The farm is by a breathtaking saltwater lake.

One of the most beautiful sceneries that I recall from those days was the sight of the lake at night. As you drove by on the interstate along the lake, the vision would fool any stranger to the area. One could swear that the lake was actually a village filled with street lights.

Around 5 p.m. each day, our “neighbors” would come by grandma’s house, carrying their nets in large wicker baskets, along with a kerosene lamp that would go on the poles by their fishing site. One by one, the fishermen would set their trap to catch the fish: giant nets, and a small kerosene lamp, shining a steady, however dim, flicker of light.

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

The scene reminds me of Jesus’ famous words at the beginning of this column, recorded in the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew.

Like fishermen, we cannot “fish” in the dark either. Truly, if our light does not shine wherever God plants us, those who don’t know his grace are more likely to flee instead of run to him.

Truly, if our light does not shine wherever God plants us, those who don’t know His grace are more likely to flee instead of run to Him. @AJC #MondayMotivation #MondayDevotional
Click To Tweet

I have seen it one too many times. Children of churchgoers (and even ministers) rebel against God because their parents’ talk does not match their walk. It’s true — how many people cringe at the mention of Jesus or God because of exposure to self-righteous, religious parents or relatives whose words did not translate into actions?

The apostle Paul reiterated this crucial aspect of the Christian life in his letter to the church in Ephesus:

“Walk as Children of Light! For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!”

Indeed, those of us who claim to love and serve God should take this light-shining business seriously because the implications of having a testimony that does not match our words can be devastating.

How many people cringe at the mention of Jesus or God because of exposure to self-righteous, religious parents or relatives whose words did not translate into actions? @AJC #MondayThoughts #MondayMotivation
Click To Tweet

We may go to church every Sunday, serve in 10 committees, sing in the choir and teach. Yet, if we come home and make our family miserable because of attitudes that scream that we are walking in the flesh, we will push the “fish” swimming near our nets away from the Lord instead of closer to him. And what great representative of God’s kingdom would I be at my job if I had Bible verses hanging all over my cubicle but displayed a bad attitude with a co-worker, or did a careless job?

“What will they say when you leave?”

I was recently listening to a song when this phrase in the chorus pierced my heart. The piece challenges believers to remember that each act and word of love, compassion, carelessness or hate builds a testimony that will outlast.

Indeed, when life is over, everything that we strive so hard to acquire is left behind. But the impact that you and I make in the lives we touch will generate ripples that can impact generations to come.

Indeed, when life is over, everything that we strive so hard to acquire is left behind. But the impact that you and I make in the lives we touch will generate ripples that can impact generations to come. @AJC #MondayMotivation…
Click To Tweet

This impact rests in gestures that show that we care. It lingers in the hearts of our children each time we wipe tears away and kiss boo-boos. It echoes in the forgiveness we extend when someone hurts us or the smile we offer when no one else seems to care. These tiny beacons of light are the heritage our journey on Earth will leave behind. More than empty words, these acts more effectively attract people to the God we love.

As this year comes to an end and we fill our minds with new goals for the new year, may we be challenged to inventory our testimony to those around us honestly. More than determining our success by the number of checks on our to-do list, may we challenge ourselves to examine the impact of our actions and words: Did we show compassion to those who were hurting? Did we offer forgiveness to those who hurt us? Did we say that we love our family, not only with empty words but also with gestures that confirm what our lips proclaim? In other words, did we effectively live as a light in the darkness around us?

I used to say that it did not matter what people thought about me. But in a sense, I have decided that it does indeed matter. For I hope that every time I leave a room or, ultimately, the day I leave this world, my life song will say that even with all my imperfections and mistakes, God’s love steadily shone through me and that the world was a better place because I lived.

What do people say when you leave the room, and, ultimately, what will they say when you leave this world? @AJC #MondayThoughts #Foodforthought
Click To Tweet

This article was originally published in Patricia’s column to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Saturday, December 18th, 2021. Click HERE to read it on the AJC’s website.

The post Take Inventory of Your Testimony This Year-End {The Atlanta Journal-Constitution} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

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.

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

The post What Will They Say When You Leave? {The Atlanta Journal-Constitution} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.