Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. The cold morning air is forcing me to spend most of my time with the Living God inside these days, but I never lose a chance to take in the glory of the morning, even for just a little while, from the front porch. For years, this porch was graced with hanging plants, but when I grew tired of being held hostage by birds nesting in them, I replaced them with flags. So, now, this old porch is graced with four flags, each representing something I stand for. As I sat before God this morning and looked at those flags, I considered what I stand for and wondered if what I Stand for is as easy for the world to see as those flags are. 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 draw our own conclusions about what they stand for just 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 neck. Sometimes those things are intended to be gentle (and silent) 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 piercing their 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 (thanks to my Dad) and I’ve had a roller coaster life for sure, 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 to tell. 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 as being ONLY interested in fun things and funny things because of my personality, but they’d be wrong about that! With just one 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 my laughing at them. BUT with just a few words about my Life Journey and all of the pain I’ve endured in His Name, they open up like a blooming 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, and 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.

Waving my Faith around for all the world to see has come at a high price, but that’s okay. The One I Stand for warned me that they “will hate you because of Me”. Make no mistake, they don’t hate the silence; they hate hearing the Name of Jesus Christ boldly Proclaimed as I wave my Faith around for all the world to see. He died for me, the least I can do is Live for Him, amen?

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. 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…I’m Victorious…I’m Redeemed…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?