Image is still everything

Do you have that one person in your life, be it friend, acquaintance, family member or stranger you see often, whom is always having a bad day, a not-so pleasant word to say, or just a loathing demeanor?  I hope that person isn't you, but if it is, shame on you! But keep reading.  :)

Sometimes we don't understand the power of attitude and of words.  They have the ability to change the course of some one's entire day, their mind-set, their feelings and more.  You don't even realize what impact you've had on them as they are walking away.  While some may not even care, the attitude we portray on a day-to-day basis tells people a lot about us.  No, it's not fair to judge someone without knowing them.  But as individuals, we have some personal responsibility to give people the impression of ourselves that we want them to have of us.  We should care what others think of us.  And we'll find ourselves offending a lot when we harbor the attitude that we don't care.  The key is to not care to the point where we neglect our identity in order to please others.  But to care enough to use it for our personal development and growth, and our dealings with others.

Jesus was even concerned with his image and how others saw him.  He asked his disciples, "Who do men say that I am?"  Then he asked his disciples, "Who do you say that I am?"  For reasons we won't dissect here, Jesus was concerned with the sentiments or concerns relating to him from the people.  And we should too!  We should want to know, "How is my life, my attitude, my disposition, and my words received or viewed by people?  Am I having a positive or negative impact on people in my life and at large?"

It's okay, and rather important to stop in your tracks every now and again and ask yourself these questions.  So, if you haven't in a while, I'll pose the question for you...What's your image?

L8r:
~faithful