blue and green and all things seen.

While I lived in China this past summer, I got used to being stared at. Not just me, but everyone in my group. It seems that foreigners are exciting and eye catching. This only makes sense since many Chinese people (especially in the smaller, less tourist attracting areas) have not seen a lot of non-Asians (whether that be blacks, whites, etc.) There was one point on my trip that we were walking through the parking lot at the train depot and 2 men on a parked tour bus about 30 feet away were looking at us with binoculars. That happened. While this made us giggle a little, like I said--it would be like you meeting a celebrity, since they have seen Americans mostly on TV.

This got me thinking tonight about how we are constantly being watched. No this isn't a freaky 'big brother' thing, but rather the point that in our every day lives people evaluate our actions from a distance. Most people don't do this intentionally, writing down your every move, but they notice. And it influences the way they respond to you, the way they carry themselves, and even their decisions in their life where you are not involved.

Children especially do this. They pick up our bad habits. They pick up our good ones too, but we notice those less. It's the 4 year olds slip of a cuss word that calls our attention, not their openness to strangers and trust of others. Children have a lot to learn, true, but there's a lot we can learn from them too.

Watch what you're doing and saying and being. What are your words and actions telling others? Do they inspire or leave a bitter taste. It's up to you. This is one place where you have total and complete control...your actions. Step one: evaluate them ahead of time, and prepare yourself to be watched and even mimicked. What do you want the world to look like?

Better yourself. Better the world.

...Mark 10:14