The Always Awkward Three Second Stare.

Friends, I come to you today with a heavy heart, to tell you that I have not only been the victim of this phenomenon, but I am also guilty of it as well.

The Always Awkward Three Second Stare.

T.A.A.T.S.S.

I thought I could make an acronym out of it, and obviously I was painfully wrong.

Moving on....

This is not something we should take lightly. 

It is a very awkward phenomenon, and if you genuinely knew the person previously, 

it makes it even harder.

Perhaps I should first explain what The Always Awkward Three Second Stare, or T.A.A.T.S.S., is.

Well, first of all, this type of stare can happen with three different types of people.

The first kind of person it can happen with is the "I know you from high school or work or church or whatever but we never really talked so that doesn't really make us friends so I'm not even going to acknowledge you" person.

You lock eyes with this person for three seconds, clearly knowing who they are, but both of you decide to say nothing. Because you were never friends, but you saw them every day for the past 12 years. Ok. Moving on.

The second kind of person it can happen with is the "I know you from yada yada and we talked for a little bit, but I never really got to know you further so that also doesn't really make us friends so I'm not really going to acknowledge you now even though I have before" person.

You lock eyes with THIS person for three seconds, DEBATE whether to say hi, but they don't say Hi first so maybe they don't remember you but they probably do but you're just not going to say Hi anyway because they didn't say Hi first. Ok. Moving on.

The last kind of person it can happen with is the "We clearly had some kind of "friendship" relationship for a year or at least we talked multiple times about things and I thought we were on like a "friend" basis but I just haven't seen you in a few years so that gives me a right to not say Hi even though I kind of want to but again, they don't say Hi first so maybe they don't remember you even though they DEFINITELY do, they are just to cowardly to acknowledge you, but you go on deciding not to say Hi anyways" person.

This person is probably the most frustrating of all because you truly kind of want to say Hi but they don't say Hi to you after that three second stare so why should YOU say Hi first.

You know? 

O.K.

This stare can happen with any of these three types of people.

It is awkward.

It is painful.

But most of all, 

it is Shameful.

Did I really not make enough of an impression on that person's life that they don't even want to acknowledge me as a living being?

Or Why didn't I take the time to get to know that person?

Is it because they were in the wrong crowd and I AM A CHRISTIAN so I CAN'T be seen with people like him?

NEWSFLASH:

JESUS HUNG OUT WITH THE SINNERS.

He didn't come to save the perfect people of this world,

He came to save the broken and the lost and the hurt people.

He came to save the tax collectors and the murders and the adulterers.

Why can't I be more like Jesus?

So many times I find that we as Christians feel like we have some sort of image to uphold in being CHRISTIANS, so we distance ourselves from the hurting and the torn and the broken.

We surround ourselves with Christian this and Christian that and "Oh I am just so involved, I go to like a Bible Study every night!" and continuous Christian things,

that we forget.

We forget that Jesus doesn't call us to make sure we are perfect Christians before we go out and make disciples.

NEWSFLASH #2: 

WE ARE NEVER GOING TO BE PERFECT CHRISTIANS, SO STOP WAITING TO BE PERFECT.

Go as you are. 

We all sin. We do.

But instead of constantly trying to fix ourselves, which we can't even do, only God can, 

why aren't we trying to help others who are even more in need?

Maybe they are hurting just as bad as we are, or even worse,

and yet they don't even know there is Someone who can take away their pain.

If you knew that going out and constantly ministering to everyone your entire life would change just one person's life on one specific occasion, 

would you still do it?

Is that one person worth it to you?

Well, that one person is worth it to God.

As the body of Christ, we all play a role in the eternal scheme of things, even if it is a small one.

But if that one person was you,

wouldn't you do the same?

There is a song by Natalie Grant called "Legacy" and I think it more than qualifies to apply in this situation.

It is pretty much just about wanting to "Leave a Legacy" and during the song she says "I want to leave a legacy. How will they remember me? Did I choose to love? Did I point to You enough to make a mark on things? I want a leave an offering. A child of mercy and grace who blessed your name. I want to leave a legacy."

I want to leave a legacy.

And not one of beauty or wealth or popularity or even how "good" of a Christian I was,

I want my life to do one thing and one thing only.

Point to Jesus.

If I never go down in the history books,

that's ok.

If I never get on the top music charts of 2000 whatever,

that's ok.

If I never get to meet President Obama,

that's ok.

If I never get to do any of these things,

that's ok.

But as long as my life points to Jesus,

As long as my friends and family can say,

she devoted her life to loving others.

I think my life will have been worth something.

I don't have to change the world.

I'd just like to add a little more of Jesus to it...

Forever His,

Rachel