Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. The cold morning forced me to spend most of my time with the Living God inside today but I never lose a chance to take in the glory of the morning, even for just a little while, from my front porch. This old porch is graced with four flags and they each represent something I stand for. As I sat before God this morning and looked at those flags, I considered the things I stand for, and I wondered if what I Stand for is as easy for the world to see. It doesn’t matter much if people look at these four flags and they don’t “get” what they represent to me…but it matters a WHOLE lot if people look at my Life and they don’t see what I stand for or Who I represent. Isn’t that something that you consider too?

It’s so easy for us to look at the outer edges of a person and to draw our own conclusions about what they stand for by what we see on the outside. Sometimes people attempt to put the world on notice about what they stand for by placing bumper stickers on their cars or by wearing a cross around their necks. Sometimes those things are intended to be gentle reminders, and sometimes those things are intended to provoke. Just like the flags hanging on this front porch if people don’t “get” what they represent they merely serve as decoration. Sometimes people attempt to make their mark on the world by tattooing their bodies or by piercing the skin in unimaginable ways. But just like the flags hanging on the front porch, if people don’t “get” what they represent they merely serve as body art. There is no end to what can be done in our attempt to put the world on notice about what we represent, but what we stand for takes a whole lot more than flying a flag over our lives. What we stand for takes action words, and Relationships to be seen by the world.

I have a crazy sense of humor and I’ve had a roller coaster life, so IF I never spoke up about what I Stand for, the world may see me as just someone fun to be around and someone with lots of good stories. But nobody has to be in my presence for long before they see AND hear about what I Stand for and Who I represent. Some may perceive me to be ONLY interested in fun things and funny things because of my personality. But with an opportunity to change my Tune to comfort a suffering soul, or to speak Words of Wisdom from God, and what I Stand for and Who I Represent is front-and-center. Some could believe that I can find humor in anything…and there’s a lot of truth to that…and they might hesitate to share their pain with me for fear of me laughing at them. BUT with just a few words about my Life Journey and all of the pain I’ve endured in His Name, and they open up like a flower with no fear of judgment from me. I don’t rely on bumper stickers on my car or a cross around my neck to make a Statement to the world about what I Stand for. I live it, I breathe it, I speak it. What I Stand for is a part of me and taking action with Words and Relationships is as natural to me as breathing.

I like to think of myself as being a little like those flags on the front porch. Bright and colorful, resilient, able to withstand the winds, flexible, bold and forever making a statement for the world to see. But you’ll never find me being a silent Representation of what I Stand for or Who I Represent, and you won’t find me relying on some outward “sign” to make a statement on my behalf. I’m a child of the Living God…I’m Royalty…I’m Unstoppable…and there is never a doubt about what I Stand for or Who I Represent. I Love Him…I Live for Him…I Serve Him…and it shows.

How about you?