Unembarrassed Faith

I've recently become intrigued by front doors. Yes...you read that correctly and I'm not embarrassed to say it. During my morning runs, I've started to pay more attention to houses and what sets them apart. Some are set apart by their size or their landscape or the car in the driveway. But as I've been running in a neighborhood in Columbus that has a lot of older homes with similar architecture, I've concluded that what sets houses apart is the door. And I say this because I've found that when I see a house with a newer front door, I find myself wondering what the interior looks like. I want to know if they have granite counter tops or big leather couches or beautiful artwork on the walls. With such care taken in the selection of the door, I have to assume that even greater care is taken to the interior of the house.

And I started to think that maybe we could apply this same idea to our faith lives. Whether we like it or not, our outward appearance speaks volumes about us. And I don't mean outward appearance as in what clothes we wear or what our hair looks like. I mean that our actions, the way we talk, the way we handle situations, and the way we treat other people DO, in fact, tell others about what's going on within us. So the question maybe we all should ask ourselves is "What does my outward appearance tell people about my relationship with God?"

Our relationship with God may, in fact, be unwaveringly strong...in the confines of our bedroom walls. But are we willing to let that faith and love for God be visible in our outward appearance and in the way we handle the events of each day? Are we willing to be set apart because of our faith? Are we willing to be content with what we have when others are constantly pursuing something else? Are we willing to speak words of kindness instead of destroying people's reputations with gossip at our job and in our school? Are we willing to joyfully endure the struggles and annoyances of the day instead of complaining? Are we willing to be people of kindness, integrity, patience, humility, boldness, and love so that through these characteristics, people may come to know the character of God?

Pope Benedict XVI once said this: "Something I constantly notice is that unembarrassed joy has become rarer". Maybe we could even take it to the next step and say that unembarrassed faith has become rarer; unembarrassed joy has become uncommon; unembarrassed peace and humility and simplicity and kindness are fleeting characteristics. But maybe that could be our challenge this week: to allow our outward appearance to reflect the inward reality of our faith lives AND to be unembarrassed in showing it. This week, let us vow to show those we meet the beauty of being in relationship with God.

And so tonight we pray, most Holy Spirit, that you would give us the strength we need to make manifest the love of the Father to a world in desperate need of it. May we be set apart for you as we make visible the joy, peace, and love we have come to know in you. Prayers for you, friends, as we unashamedly share our faith.