Who reflects God’s love [most of all]?

Obviously, it’s not some competition to be the ‘fairest’ or the most ‘reflective’!  However, once you overcome your guilt and lack of self-confidence, and believe that God so loved the world and you - do you ‘reflect’ it?

As all of us reflect the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces, we are becoming more like him with ever-increasing glory by the Lord’s Spirit.  [II Corinthians 3:18]

Let arrogant people be put to shame because they lied about me, [yet] I reflect on your guiding principles.  [Psalm 119:78]

Do you reflect His love and life in your actions and behavior?  Or do you simply absorb the love and life around you?  When God’s favor is poured into your life, do you simply ‘keep’ it?  Or do you pay it forward?

My ‘little man’ and I were in Wal-Mart (again) on Sunday afternoon.  As we were checking out, another cashier came to stand at our register.  Up to this point, ‘my’ cashier hadn’t been able to reciprocate any conversation that I initiated.  However, when her co-worker arrived, they began to ‘talk’.  [Deliberate, gripe and complain about working policies and conditions.]

I won’t even get into all the reasons why this doesn’t fly from my [the customer] point of view.

In the meantime, however, it got me to thinking about some things.  Things that many of us may not even consider!

For instance, how often do we carry on conversations with our own ‘inner circle’ of friends and family, with no regard as to how awful what we may be saying sounds to bystanders?

Or what impression we are making by the comments and opinions we voice?

Or, how often do we completely shut out others, missing an opportunity to witness, and exclude them because we are so engrossed in our own affairs, trials or annoyance?

How hard would it be to keep your opinions to yourself?  Or at the very least for a more appropriate time?

How hard would it be to turn and share a smile or a “Hello!”?

I can’t tell you the conversations that have started from a simple smile - the people that are just aching for someone to talk to or share a laugh with.  They’re everywhere!  And who better to approach them than the gal that trots off to church every Sunday and Wednesday proclaiming God’s love in her life?  [Same goes for the guys! *wink*]

We’re all pretty simple!  We just want to feel acceptance, approval, love and friendship in a world that offers very little of it!

It’s definitely NOT the time to submit to the ways of the world!  Rather, brilliant reflections of God’s love, mercy, favor and grace!

But be doers of the Word [obey the message], and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves [into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth].  For if anyone only listens to the Word without obeying it and being a doer of it, he is like a man who looks carefully at his [own] natural face in a mirror; For he thoughtfully observes himself, and then goes off and promptly forgets what he was like.  But he who looks carefully into the faultless law, the [law] of liberty, and is faithful to it and perseveres in looking into it, being not a heedless listener who forgets but an active doer [who obeys], he shall be blessed in his doing (his life of obedience).  If anyone thinks of himself to be religious (piously observant of the external duties of his faith) and does not bridle his tongue but deludes his own heart, this person’s religious service is worthless (futile, barren).  External religious worship [religion as it is expressed in outward acts] that is pure and unblemished in the sight of God the Father is this; to visit and help and care for the orphans and widows in their affliction and need, and to keep oneself unspotted and uncontaminated from the world.  [James 1:22-27]