from Elliott
We have planted tomatoes in the garden this season so we needed to find staking material. We went to a Garden Center and asked for a variety of materials that would suffice but were unsuccessful finding what we needed. The person helping us apologized and then said as we were walking away, "Are You a Pastor?"
Well, realizing the word 'Pastor' has a variety of meanings in this culture, I clarified that we were missionaries. He said that he thought so. Strange! But it made me wonder what gave it away to this person and why he thought to mention it. What had we said or done that would have given it away? More concerning was what might we have done or said that would have created an impression - good or bad - about missionaries or the work of missionaries in that individual.
As Christ followers we must always be aware that the world is watching! And as a corollary to what St. Francis pointed out we must be aware even when we are not using words we are preaching the Gospel by our actions.
We have planted tomatoes in the garden this season so we needed to find staking material. We went to a Garden Center and asked for a variety of materials that would suffice but were unsuccessful finding what we needed. The person helping us apologized and then said as we were walking away, "Are You a Pastor?"
Well, realizing the word 'Pastor' has a variety of meanings in this culture, I clarified that we were missionaries. He said that he thought so. Strange! But it made me wonder what gave it away to this person and why he thought to mention it. What had we said or done that would have given it away? More concerning was what might we have done or said that would have created an impression - good or bad - about missionaries or the work of missionaries in that individual.
As Christ followers we must always be aware that the world is watching! And as a corollary to what St. Francis pointed out we must be aware even when we are not using words we are preaching the Gospel by our actions.
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