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Show - Not self-promoting, but giving witness to whatever is right and good.
Many of us were taught as children not to be “show-offs,” trying to draw attention to ourselves by words or external behavior. The ideal was to speak and act consistently according to whatever we understood as right and good rather than just to be noticed by others. Perhaps, from having learned this when we were young, we internalized it into a more expansive interpretation that now prevents us from giving witness to truth and to reality when opportunities arise to do so.
Making a new year’s resolution to speak up for whatever we know to be right and good will not likely stay with us, because changing long-held attitudes and perspectives require much more conscious ongoing attention than can a single decision usually accomplish. However, a thoughtful plan of action that includes personally adapted prompts can be very effective, especially if our planning is founded on both imagination and prayer. When we only think about changing habitual behavior, we are not nearly as likely to do so as when we take enough time to imagine the benefits, entertain a desire for this new behavior, and receive inspiration as to how this might be a graced opportunity for us.
We might be familiar with twinges of fear on occasions when we could share something we believe to be right even though the environment is not one where we would expect opposition. The normal price of considering an action that is contrary to an internal rule such as “don’t put yourself forward” is just such an uncomfortable feeling. If we engaged in prayerful reflection enough to have felt strongly our desire to promote the practical consequences of God’s perspectives as we understand them, we will at least be able to pass a little beyond our comfort zone.
God does not brag about being creator, or any other aspect of being infinite and eternal love. However, God, in Jesus Christ, shows us God’s love in human form. And Jesus does this not only as an example of love, but primarily as a “practitioner,” caring for individuals in their specific needs by teaching that informs minds and hearts and by actions that enhance lives. The Gospels are full of stories that manifest this love of God for those whom Jesus encountered before his death and resurrection. We are now the ones with the contemporary stories of how we have been affected through our relationship with the risen Christ.
Without being “show-offs,” we have a responsibility to show God’s love by the ways that we love. Our ability to do that, first through how we normally act, but also through witnessing through appropriate words and publicly recognizable activities, flows directly from our acceptance of God’s love for us. The most direct and consistent way to be empowered to love like Christ is to spend some time on a regular basis in prayerful situations where we can “look at God looking at us with great love.” Then, we will love like God.
Last Updated 1/3/2026