Walking the Talk

            A friend of mine a few years ago told a story from Leslie Flynn’s book, DARE TO CARE LIKE JESUS. There was a baroness who lived in the Highlands of Nairobi, Kenya. She hired a young national to be her houseboy.

            The boy worked for her for three months and then he asked her for a letter of reference; he wanted to go work for a local sheik.

            The baroness thought the boy simply wanted a raise; he was very good at his job. She offered him more money, but he explained that he was not interested in a wage increase.

            He told her, "I've decided to either become a Christian or a Muslim. I couldn't figure out which I should be, so I decided to live with you, a Christian, for three months and see how you live; now I would like to live with a Muslim for three months and see how he lives. After that, I will make my decision."

            At that point, the baroness thought back over how harshly she had treated the young man over the past three months, so she said to him, "Why didn't you tell me at the beginning that you were watching me?"

            My friend’s point was that your walk could betray your talk. You can do all of the talking you want, but if your life is inconsistent with your testimony, no one listens.