"A Lesson Re-learned in Canada"

We recently returned from a trip to Canada and I, for one, wanted to get out of the car and kiss the ground when we got back to U.S. soil.  (And I wouldn't have even cared if a flock of Canada GEESE had already been on that ground, right BEFORE me...Lol, I still wanted to do that!!)  And I'm sure many Canadians who visit the States feel the same about US as they return home...and that's fine.

See, we went to check out the Canadian side of Niagara Falls (on our honeymoon in the spring, we saw the New York side, and I wanted to "complete the loop.")  The FALLS, of course, are GOD'S Handiwork and are simply amazing....but the hotel in Canada that we stayed at was made and run by PEOPLE and it was a big, big letdown. 

Of course, to be fair, we only experienced a VERY small part of the country...namely the (very expensive but very inefficient) hotel.  So is it right to judge all of Canada by that three day stay in one basic location? Of course it isn't...but it's human nature, and that's how it works.  It's just like folks in the States who think all of my native New Jersey consists of FACTORIES because they never saw more than the New Jersey Turnpike, when passing through.  What they may see regarding the beauties of The Garden State in books or brochures does not impact as much as what they experience in real-life.  What others TELL them does not over-rule what they SEE with their EYES.  And that brings me to the main point of this "Chetitorial." 

We Christians are often told that "we are the only Jesus some people will ever see" and that is SO true.  And like it or not, those same people will most often judge ALL of Christianity, and Christ Himself, by their experience with the individual Christian they come in contact with on a personal basis,  just like my recollections of Canada will always be tainted by my initial bad experience.

Can initial bad experiences be OVERCOME, in time?  Of course they can...IF I ever visit Canada again, I may have POSITIVE experiences which will help erase the memories of the negatives. Problem is, my FIRST visit may well be my LAST one.....time will tell.   

Is it right?? No, it isn't.  Is it fair??  Not hardly.  But it's HUMAN, and if a Christian of many, many years like myself can still have these inclinations, I'd better not be surprised if NON-believers do....and neither should you.

I need to make sure that what the others see of GOD'S Handiwork in my life (my "Niagara Falls" as it were) is not overshadowed by the "hotel" which is all "me."  And I need to take care that nothing within me prejudices the lost against seeking the Savior I claim to represent. 

In closing,  several years after I was converted to Christ I was self-employed for 35 years and followed the saying "you don't get a second chance to make a good first impression."  May I always represent my SAVIOR with the same zeal with which I advertised and represented my BUSINESS.  Amen!!