On Guard!

It was last year when I was having lunch with my friends. Our food had arrived, and we tucked in right away.

I was just a few spoonfuls into my food when my friend suddenly exclaimed, “Eh, Jo, you not Christian wan meh? No need to pray before you eat wan ar?”

I was caught by surprise and mumbled a feeble excuse about saying a little prayer in my heart.

After wards, I wondered whether I was actually ashamed of being ‘uncommon’. The group of friends whom I was eating with was a bunch of non-Christians, and perhaps I was shy or afraid of what they would think of me.

Another thought was how other people were actually watching our lives although we don’t realise it. My friend’s remark came as a shock to me because I never expected anyone to comment on it, let alone notice it.

This verse came to my mind:

If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels. Mark 8:38

Let this be an encouragement to us to always be on guard with our actions as we never know who is watching us. Every time we feel like letting out our anger or frustration, think again. Think about the kind of testimony we want to leave with our friends. Think whether our actions are edifying. And most of all, pray. Pray for strength and discernment to choose the right actions.

- Jo-Yi

Images taken from:

http://www.supercoloring.com/pages/give-thanks/
http://stressed.ctv.ca/CTVNews/World/20090816/afghanistan_rocket_090816/