Two weeks ago, while waiting for a late-night appointment to arrive for counseling, I did something that I seldom get to do. Usually, I try to be productive while waiting for a couple to make their appointment by working on a class outline, studying, or perhaps doing paperwork. That night I was feeling somewhat burnout, so I decided to waste a few minutes by skimming over social media. I keep a watch out outlook on the church’s social media and on postings by 70 West members but rarely look at other postings. What I saw that night very much bothered me.
I saw a posting by a Christian in Paragould. The posting read, ‘Senior Sunday’ with a photo of her daughter. The young lady was wearing a dress that made the outfits my high school cheerleaders wore in my day look very modest. I can’t recall a shorter dress ever worn by someone I knew personally. This dress was something you might see on a Kardashian. The young lady was posing in a somewhat provocative pose inspired by Hollywood runway models. Remember… the caption read ‘Senior Sunday’. I only noticed the photo for a split second because what drew my real attention was the comment posted directly below the photo. That comment caused me to click on COMMENTS and there were dozens and dozens of comments praising this photo. From these comments I counted a total of 11 Christians with incredibly positive comments about the photo. These 11 Christians saw nothing wrong with the photo and were praising this mom and her daughter. What does this say about our Christian influence? What does this say about our message to the world?
If we want to change our community, we must not ‘blend into’ the community and become just like them. We must stand out! We must be a light to the world.
In Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus said,
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
May we always be the right example, reflecting the image of our Lord to the world around us.
– Michael Cox
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