You Gotta Act Like It!

They do say, "Out of the mouths of babes".
As a grandmother, I have heard many cute, and not so cute, things come out of a child's mouth. One day, my four-year-old granddaughter, Aliyah was visiting my home and we were making birthday cards for her little brother. The phone rang and I answered it, leaving Aliyah at the table with crayons and markers. I could still see her and she could hear my conversation as well. I was talking to a friend I had met in church.
I had just purchased a new dining room set and the chairs were covered in a light tan fabric. When I got off the phone and sat back down with Aliyah, she said, "Grandma, I heard you talking about church. Do they sing and shout amen at your church?" I told her yes, sometimes. She asked if they talked about God and Jesus at my church and again, I said yes. "Do they tell you to act like Jesus?" she asked. "They tell me to try," I answered. "Oh good," she sighed, "Then you have to forgive me for this." She moved her little bottom and there were marker drawings on my new chair. My face must have shown my frustration as she said, "Ah, ah, ah Grandma, you can't yell at me, cause Im gonna tell you I am sorry. And then you have to forgive me. 'Cause I love you."
Wow.
Now it could have been very clever manipulation. She is adorable and she knows it. But darn it, she was also right. It made me think of all of the people who are listening to me. To you. To people who say they are Christians. Not only was this little girl listening to my "talk" but she was holding me accountable for my "walk". Others are watching us, too. Do we tell our neighbors we are Christians and then go around grumbling, complaining or acting like everyone else?
We should be Christians not "in word only, but also in deed". Thanks for reminding me of that, Aliyah! But she still had to help me scrub the chair!