Living Life for Christ Alone

This morning, my girls and I went for our near-daily walk and the sky was almost cloudless with a slight breeze blowing. It was lovely, especially for a typical day in the middle of Florida's summer with all the not-so-glorious heat and humidity. But then, as the morning wore on, clouds rolled in and rains poured down, covering our yard with puddles.  And now, as I write, the sun is shining brightly in our yard with clouds hanging low in the distant sky.  One can never be quite sure what will happen next... More rain? Or how about a cloudless sky? It really could go either way. I feel like circumstances can be like that. Sometimes, the good ones stretch over months, and other times, they last only a few short minutes. And yet, how quickly and easily we put our hope in them. I don't know about you, but my emotions are often intricately tied into my circumstances, and as a result, they can be so... unstable. One minute, the sun of circumstances shines brightly, so my soul shines...

It is impossible to see what is not shown to you... It is hard to want to live truth if you haven't seen it lived...  Its difficult to want what you don't see others craving... And there are too many people who aren't drawn to Christ because they don't see Him alive and real in the lives of Christians. They look, and the only reflection they see is a reflection of the inner soul of the one before them; a reflection of their dirty, sinful nature. But Christ has called us to much more than that! We are to reflect His character: we are to reflect His love, beauty, kindness, meekness, righteousness, etc.