What Story Does Your Life Tell?

"You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."  

~2 Corinthians 3: 2-3

Think about that for a moment. You are a letter from Christ. Every day, your neighbors are reading you. They're watching how you handle stress, how you treat your family, how you respond when things don't go your way. They may never pick up a Bible, but they're reading the gospel story written in your daily life.  The question isn't whether people are reading your life, because they are. But what story are they reading? Are they seeing Christ's love, patience, and servant heart reflected in your everyday actions?

I've lived in the same small community my whole life--in fact, we built our house on the corner of the family farm. Small towns have a reputation for being friendly places, and for the most part, that's true. And my theory is that small towns are friendlier, because in a small town, there's only so many people you can tick off before nobody wants anything to do with you!  Sooner or later, if you're a jerk, you're going to run out of people to talk to! So we tend to be more patient and polite. We are a little more forgiving of the small stuff. We jump in and help our neighbors when they need a hand or a prayer--because sooner or later we're going to need that same help and support. And we're a little more apt to think twice about doing the wrong thing, because in a small town everybody knows everything about everyone. 

Maybe it's a little easier to live a Christian life in a small town, because we are so connected as a community. Our churches are another family for us. We have great examples to look to, and mentors, and friends, and a pastor we can talk to about things we can't talk to anybody else about. Church isn't something we just do on Sunday, it's the center of our community.  It's headquarters.  And our faith guides how we live our life, and we strive to make sure our actions and our words and our decisions are consistent with our faith.  

Here's my challenge for you this week: do like we do in the country. Live your faith and let other people see what you believe in how you live your life. Be an example of what's right in the world. Be patient. Be kind. Be forgiving. Words are easy things. The most powerful witness often happens not in what we say, but in how we live. When we serve quietly and consistently, we're writing a letter that speaks of Christ's character.  Learn to live with His humility, His love, and His heart for others.  

So this week, ask yourself a question. What is my life saying to my neighbors? What letter am I writing through my daily actions? And then, with God's help, write a beautiful chapter of service that points others to the love of Christ. Because you are His living letter, and the world is reading your story.

~Pastor Todd Creason