It was just after 11:30 p.m. and Phil, his cousin Lee, and I had just gorged ourselves on an amazing Mexican feast prepared by our hosts, Vishaan and Sophia. We had finished nibbling on cake, sipped chai, and were preparing to leave when it happened.
“Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!”
Five successive shots shattered the quiet of the private neighborhood, leaving our hosts as dumbfounded as we were.
“Were those gun shots?,” someone asked.
Vishaan quickly flipped the lights off and we scrambled into the safety of the kitchen—away from the exposed windows where the shots had been fired only a few feet away. Vishaan called 911.
Within five minutes, police cars were in the neighborhood—cruising past the upscale facades shrouded in darkness. They stopped in front of Vishaan and Sophia’s house, where Lee’s tricked out Mitsubishi was parked.
“Why are they looking at my car! Did it get shot? No, they are NOT running my plates! Why am I getting stereotyped!,” Lee protested loudly.
Lee peered through a small window in the foyer, giving us a running commentary as the police took their time hovering over his car. The longer they took, the more agitated he got. They obviously presumed that his car was related to whatever had just happened. His out of state tags were conspicuous, though, as were his rims and model of his car.
“Tomorrow we’ll go and get you some new rims,” Vishaan instructed. “You can’t have those black ones anymore,” he told Lee.
It was definitely unfair that Lee’s car had been singled out, but as the only suspicious looking car on the block, he couldn’t help but be marked by the police. Lee is smart, wholesome, and not even remotely involved in gang activities, but the appearance of his car suggested otherwise—especially in the context of the evening.
We all have characteristics about ourselves that communicate who we are and what we believe. Hopefully, our dress, language, and behavior speak positively about us, but like with Lee’s car, sometimes we inadvertently misrepresent ourselves.
As Christians, John 13:35 reminds us, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Our commission to show Christ through our love to others is only intensified by the knowledge that another mark, spoken of in Revelation 13:16-17, is coming soon. The mark of the beast will usher in the second coming of Christ, but not before many are deceived by it. Unlike the action of love, the mark of the beast will not denote followers of Christ, but sycophants of the beast (Revelation 13).
Every day, we are unconsciously witnessing to those searching for God by what we say and do. What are your marks saying about you and the God you represent?
Originally from Port St. Lucie, FL, has been a member of Miracle Temple since 2001. She started authoring "Unplugged," the relationship advice column for Insight magazine, while studying at Johns Hopkins University. After graduating in 2005, Shayna continued her ministry with the magazine and has become a sought after speaker and adviser on Christian relationships and dating. This fall, Shayna's first joint book venture-the GODencounters devotional-will be released by Review and Herald Publishing. Shayna is delighted to be serving as the 2008 communication secretary for Miracle Temple.