Lessons from the Sitter

Think on this…my wife and I had a chance get away recently and of course we had to find a sitter for our son. Our usual go to folks were away so we had to find some new people to cover us. Due to my son’s special needs we don’t leave him over night with just anybody. We decided to go with an older couple that both love him, and us, but they had never before watched him. The night before we left, he was up all night and understandably in a funky mood when we dropped him off. I was completely prepared to go back and get him had he “showed the wrong side of himself.”

We picked him up and he was as content as can be. He was smiling and playing. We expected the worst based on how we left him (we felt a little guilty for leaving him with them while he had such a bad attitude). They told us that he didn’t misbehave in the least bit. He didn’t cry once. The husband told me, “He represented you well”. I was relieved to hear that. Then it dawned on me, all parents want their children to represent them well.

I remembered my upbringing and my mom warning us to behave over other people’s houses. She didn’t want us misrepresenting her. My mom was in no way a perfect parent, but she taught us better than we(rather I, as the problem child) often displayed. I remember the look in her eye upon hearing that I had been, in a fight, suspended, or the time the police brought me home. I made her look bad. Now, as a child that was the least of my concerns, but it was at the top of mother’s. My son in this moment had made me as a father look good.

I think that is how God views many Christians. It’s obvious that we belong to him, but sometimes we misrepresent him with our behavior. We are usually not thinking about His reputation as a parent, just our wants and needs. I do it! I think about how sorry I am at following up with people after saying I will. That makes him look bad. I wonder how his face looks when we are brought back to Him because of our horrible behavior. That thought should break our hearts. The Bible says, “As it is written: "God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”. Romans 2:24 Do people reject Him because of how we, His children behave? In what way can you better represent Him this week?...Just a thought.