Many years ago, I was watching our children while my wife went grocery shopping. Our young daughter was running from one room to another, and our infant son was finally asleep. I was just about to settle into the recliner to watch television when I noticed something scary. It was much too quite in the house. There is just a certain amount of noise and activity that you can expect from a three-year-old, and when it’s not there…watch out!
I went room to room, searching for my daughter. I found her sitting on a stool in front of the bathroom mirror. Her mouth, chin and nose were covered with red lip stick. Powdered make-up covered not only her face and hair, but also the floor and sink. I could see streaks of black eye liner running across her fore head. Looking up at me smiling, she said, “Do I look pretty like mommy, daddy?” I rubbed my head, and shifted into a ̳Daddy‘ tone of voice. “Why did you do this? Who told you that it was okay to put make-up on your face? Your mother will get you and me both!” She looked up at me with a curious smirk, and said “It’s okay daddy, I just wanted to look like mommy, she does this all the time.” What could I say? She was as beautiful as her mother.
Cleaning my daughter‘s mess, I realized that most everyone has an idol in another person. It appears to be a part of human nature. Preachers look at other ministers and say, “Oh, if only I could preach like that.” School teachers look down their halls and say, “Oh, if I only could maintain discipline like she does.” Business people look at others and say, “Now that’s the kind of person I wish I could be.” It stands to reason then that while you and I have secret idols, someone else maybe watching us. It might be that young man in the office or in the cafeteria. It could even be one of your children.
We have a responsibility which we can‘t afford to forget. For that reason we need to hold our heads high in dignity doing community service. We need to be above reproach in our personal and business dealings. The young around us deserve to see truth and love demonstrated by actions and words. While the world changes, we owe it to that unknown person watching us to remain steadfast to the idea which first caught their attention…as we walk worthy of our Christian calling (Ephesians 4:1) making Christ known through our actions. You never know who’s watching.