One of the stops on our recent cruise vacation was the country of Belize.  Each port of call on a cruise offers many different options for excursions...basically "attractions" at this particular location.  Upon disembarking the boat, tourists are overtaken by "dealers" who want to lure you to their presentation of what they can offer.  Most of these "wheeler-dealers" are somewhat pushy and overbearing.  As soon as our feet hit the dock at Belize City, Belize, I was confronted by one of these "dealers."  He immediately began to give the run-down of where he could take us and what we would see and how "cheap" it would be.  I hardly gave him a nod of acknowledgement.  He pursued and continued to plead his case.  With very little kindness, I brushed him off again by saying, "no...not interested."  Well, as God (not fate) would have it, we ended up listening to his presentation, negotiated a price and he became our guide to a private island in the ocean for a snorkeling adventure.  While riding to our "Gilligan's Island", I struck up a conversation with the man I had unkindly brushed off...and would you believe, he was a believer in Jesus Christ!  He shared of his journey to Christ and about his church.  He turned out to be a really great guy.

I don't have to tell you that upon finding he was a fellow believer, I was immediately convicted in my spirit that I had not treated him respectfully on our first encounter.  My secret thoughts wondered what he thought of me after finding that I was also a follower of Jesus Christ and a pastor at that!  Hopefully, a lesson has been learned. As a Christian, I never have the right, nor reason to treat another person disrespectfully.  Whether I encounter a person who appears to be a believer or not doesn't matter...because I am a believer.  I represent Christ to whomever He allows me to cross paths with...even in places like Belize!

When people encounter you...who do they see?