What occurred to me that was so striking is that the first impression is often what people identify us by. He loves football, she loves to shop, our neighbors love to travel, my doctor is a golfer, my boss is a fisherman... etc.
Sometimes our first impressions are negative: this one is lazy, that one has a serious weight problem, he has anger issues, she is a gossip, my neighbor is vulgar and abusive, my brother is an absent father, my sister is a spoiled brat...etc.
Whether positive or negative our first impressions are of people, we should consider the value of our own impression to the world. What will I be identified by? What will be my legacy? Will I be known for my loyalty to my favorite sports team? My possessions? My special skill or occupation? My swag?
Will I be know for my carelessness? My obesity? My arrogance? My poor stewardship or abusive treatment toward family, friends and neighbors?
When considering leaving a legacy in the perspective of eternity, might I be known as a faithful witness for Jesus Christ? Will I stand before God and hear Him commend me for my collection of movies and digital content? My commitment to physical exercise or even feeding the hungry? Or will He say "well done my good and faithful servant! You not only told others about me, you showed me to them through your actions."
If the greatest commandment God gave us was to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength" then shouldn't our first impression to the world reflect our loving devotion and infatuation with Jesus Christ (our Savior, Master, Redeemer, King of Kings and Lord of Lords).
Too often, I believe we let peripheral things interfere with our true identity in Christ. People will identify us by our skin color, our occupation, our sports teams, our clothing brand... However, if our love for Christ is foremost visible in our everyday lives, we can walk with the assurance that others will likely be drawn to Him simply through our first (lasting) impressions.
Thank you for this insight John. First impressions can go a long way. With enough grace, some are given a second impression. I get what you're saying though. Why shouldn't someone immediately associate us with the YHWY of the scriptures after seconds of viewing our profiles. We show so much enthusiasm for the other things in our life. We share videos, songs, wall-a-grams and just about everything regarding what feeds us and I think Jesus deserves all that attention too. When someone looks at my page I want them to think, "That guy is all about Jesus."
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