In early July, my husband and I spent a little less than 48 hours to ourselves over a weekend. One morning at breakfast, I was watching others around me and noticed that they were all doing the same thing - watching people around them! How interesting that just about everyone was people-watching.
It really is part of our human character isn't it? We always watch others. We want to see what they are doing and how they are doing it, what they have or don't have and what they can get, who they are with, etc. People-watching can lead to things considered sin in the Christian life - envy, jealousy, coveting, sense of entitlement, sense of self-importance or "better than them" attitudes, gossip, judging incorrectly, etc. Ouch. But it's true, isn't it? We think things like, "Look at what they're wearing," or "I can't believe they just spoke to their children like that."
Maybe we should avoid people-watching. Then we could avoid all those opportunities to sin, right?
Then again, I realized the good that can come from watching others as well. What we see in others can have a positive effect on us, not just a negative one. Like the "pay-it-forward" concept - one person does something nice for someone else and, in turn, the second person does something nice for someone else. If we see a person helping another individual pick up their spilled popcorn, then we may think how nice it was that they helped, and hopefully then think that we could have done the same thing, or something similar.
As Christians, we are called to be examples of God's love.
*James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
*1 John 3:17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need
but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be that person?
*1 John 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
*Matthew 5:14-16 "You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a
bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone
in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
* 2 Corinthians 5:20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his
appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to
God.
Some thoughts to take away from this:
1. When you people-watch, look for the good. Give people the benefit of a doubt, because you don't know them and everything they have going on in their lives. Don't be too quick to judge.
2. Pray for the people you see. I read something about this once and really started just praying for people that I've seen walking down the street, sitting in restaurants, etc. It can be amazing to intercede for people you don't even know. I think about it as "pray as you go" praying.
3. Be the good example. Live in such a way, with such an undeniable integrity, that others will be drawn to that and want to live what they see in you. Show them Jesus through your words, actions, gestures, etc.
