Don't Tell... Show!

This can be said in life as well as writing. With writing, it is important to do both, but showing is by far more important than telling. You wouldn’t want to write a story and only tell the reader what happened. That would get very boring, very fast. People want to see something happen, not just hear that it happened.

But, for the purpose of this blog, I want to focus on real life. Recently someone told me they love me with all their heart. I couldn’t help thinking, where is the proof of it? It’s one thing to tell me this is true, it’s quite another to show it to me. Call me skeptical but, if you knew this person, you would understand. I can think of very little ways in which they have truly shown it to me.

Oh, that we all would strive to show, not just tell in all areas of our life! The same is true with being a Christian. How much more would it prove to others that we are followers of Christ if we acted like it? The verse, “you shall know them by their fruit,” in Matthew 7 comes to mind. We all need fruit in our lives. Fruit behind our words.

The Bible is what we Christians should use as our guide. And it gives more than enough to know how to conduct ourselves and what being a Christian really means. Galatians 5:23+24, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

If we claim to be followers of Christ, lets act like it! If we say and feel we love someone, how about we show it to them! It would mean so much more than meager words.

Now, we can also use show don’t tell to see who people truly are. The King James version of Matthew 7 goes so far as to say, “A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.”

I used to have a friend that claimed to be a Christian for example, yet was not living like it at all. Once I asked this friend to tell me about their testimony -how they came to know Christ and make Him Lord of their life- and found out that they didn’t have one! They had never ask Christ into their life. Not only that, but with some of their actions, which are not appropriate to discuss, it clearly showed too.

This is the evidence we should look for in everything. Don’t just settle for words, which can change as quickly as they are said. Wait to see the proof of them first. Let actions speak louder than words. It will help protect you from unwanted talkers.

~L. Pierce