Who is watching you?

On Friday night we received a call from our oldest daughter that she had been in a serious boating accident while on vacation in Mexico. A wave hit the boat and it flipped over and the kids lost everything. Thankfully she was able to swim away and tell about it.

While I was on the phone with her I heard this story about a trip she and her roommate took to some remote beach with two boys they had met. I was glad she was okay and I told her that but I almost flipped. I asked her how she could wander off with two boys she hardly knew. I told her it wasn't safe. I warned her that she need to be more careful because bad things could happen to unsuspecting people.

She came home on Sunday and on Tuesday I went to New York City to visit her. I planned to take the train in, get off at 12th Street in Harlem and visit her at the school where she teaches. Well the train got delayed and then I took the wrong subway. I ended up being real late and a little lost. As luck would have it, I found a map of the city and decided to walk to her school. I figured it would be quicker to go as the crow flies than to take the subway aback and start over again.

It turned out to be a forty five minute walk through some pretty dicey neighborhoods. As I got to the school it suddenly dawned on me that my decision to walk through an unknown part of the city was probably every bit as foolish as what my daughter had done. I didn't need to ask where she got that independent adventurous spirit anymore. I realized that she got it from me.

It struck me afterwards that many of us learn by watching others. It is true of our children and it is true of us in the community of faith. Our faith is often bolstered by the people we see who love and serve God faithfully. We often try to emulate them. We try to follow their example. And people often watch us. They get their clues as to how to live the life of faith from watching how we handle situations.

So next time you decided to do something foolish, remember that someone may be watching you. Think about it before you do it and ask if it will glorify God. If so, then go ahead and do it. If not, then think twice before doing it. God bless.

Cal