Are you "Nice"??

I guess we all worry at times about how we are being perceived by the rest of the world, right?

 I see some people that are consumed with making sure they dress a certain way, drive the newest coolest car, buy a fancy house in the “right” neighborhood and show up at all the trendiest spots in town.  Why?  Just so people will have a certain perception of them.  If people think we are cool, then we ARE cool, right?

Then there are others who don’t worry so much about all the “worldly” stuff, but seem to spend all their time and effort into making people believe they are nice.  Nice.  They bend over backwards doing stuff for other people so that some will marvel at how nice they are.  But really the main reason they are busting their butts for everyone is just so that they will be perceived in a certain way.  They want to remind everyone how nice they are.  So, deep down, they are still doing it for themselves. –They are doing it so that they can maintain everyone’s perception of them.  I must admit that I find myself falling into this category at times. 

“I know your deeds; you have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead.” – Rev. 3:1  -- Ouch!  That was a harsh reminder for me this morning.   We can spend our lives “doing” all the right things and still miss the big picture. 

We can give to charities, show up every Sunday at church, be the first to offer to help a co-worker when they are in a pinch.  Nice. 

We can go out of our way to support our friends, mow our neighbor’s lawn when they are out of town without being asked, volunteer at a retirement home.  Nice.

We can give a dollar to the homeless man on the corner, spend hours on the phone listening to your friend’s drama’s when you really need to be doing something else, take dinner to a family who just lost a loved one, and ALWAYS send thank-you notes appropriately.  Nice.

We can build our reputations on being the “nice” one and live our lives consumed with keeping that reputation alive, all the while not having the right motives behind our actions.  But God sees our heart.  He knows our motives. 

Bottom line is this:  It doesn’t matter what the world’s perception is of us – all that matters is the reality of who we are before God. 

That was a good wake-up call for me today.  I don’t wanna miss the big picture of what God wants for me while I’m busy making sure the world thinks I’m… well… Nice.