They are watching YOU

When I stepped into what you would call "the real world" over a year ago, I turned to my left and I turned to my right, and then I thought to myself: "This is not that bad. Living Christ-like at work is not so difficult." I conciously thought about how I carried myself, how I spoke, how I interacted with co-workers, and how the Lord would either be disappointed in or proud of me. I gave time to analyze my surroundings and the gravity it would have on how I represented the Lord. Rarely did anyone push me over the edge or corner me into a difficult position. For the most part, I really thought I had it easy with the Lord at work. Cool, praise the Lord for such an easy transition into the working world, right?! That was Thanksgiving week of 2002 when those thought entered my mind. Fastforward to present day - Friday, January 30, 2004. The Lord humbled me, yet again, as He showed me my sin. My boss and I have one awesome relationship built on trust, respect, and laughter. We joke about all sort of crazy things like how I have no clue who Luverne and Shirley are... how to fire annoying clients... how she needs to quit smoking... how Chinese people don't trust other Chinese people w/ their money... and on and on. Throughout all the laughing and cracking jokes, I hold back on the crude remarks and the negative sly comments. Well, at least I thought I had been. Today a woman came into the branch and asked if we had a restroom for the customers... my response: "No, but there is a public restroom next door." Then, a man approached me with his toddler: "Do you have a kleenex? He just sneezed." I just thought to myself: "Hello?! Go next door and buy some kleenex. What do we look like here?" And then the man just let his kid run all around making those noises kids make with a plastic truck ramming into the floor boards. I mean, for the love! I turned to my boss and spewed out a string of ungodly brain farts, disparaging the common sense of those people who had just approached me. Her response put me in my place: "Candice, aren't you a good Christian girl? Don't they say - do unto others as you would do unto yourself?" Yikes! Yeah, I had to ask the Lord for forgiveness right then and there. It was a humbling moment for her to point out my sin when I had once been so concious with my words and actions around her. I had let my guard down and become soft. I had become comfortable with my environment and my alertness had muted. This situation happened in just a few short minutes, but I was reminded that nonChristians are watching me closely... just waiting for me to slip and bring shame to my Jesus' name.