Recently I needed an immediate doctor's appointment. I finally called an office I had never been to before that said they could always get me in, which I thought was very nice of them. When I walked in it all seemed normal, but after filling out my paperwork I began to look around the waiting room. The building itself was nice, but the walls were a bit scuffed and were in need of paint. The poster boards on the wall had bent edges, and the room was haphazardly decorated. As I glanced at the floor I noticed quite a few sticky mouse trap boxes. Once seated in the exam room I noticed a large metal cabinet had been placed against the wall half-covering a very nice painting. Why not move the painting after placing the cabinet there? I thought. Then I noticed a metal cart pushed under the sink. It was covered in dust. Was this place ever cleaned?

I had not even met the doctor yet, but at that moment I decided I would not return to this office. It was okay at first glance, but looking deeper I saw things I did not like. Any single thing I noticed would not have bothered me on their own, but taken together they made me feel this doctor was not up to snuff. He may have been a very good doctor—and he seemed nice enough—but his office screamed "uninterested, disorganized and lazy." His image was besmirched by the way he ran his office. His actions and inaction in certain ways made a difference in my view of his practice. This doctor may be good at medicine, but I did not return to him. He did not portray in his daily life what was expected and it reflected on who he was deemed to be.

As Christians, we too have an image to uphold. We are to portray Jesus Christ—and called to be children of God (Ephesians 5:1-2). We cannot say we are Christian while not living that life. The doctor had a medical license, but the way he ran his business made him look bad. It's not enough to just come to church and fellowship. We must walk the walk. If we “put on” the Christian for church but then walk out the door and not act the same way, we are not going to be taken seriously. God expects us to adopt His ways and actions, not only in front of other Christians but outside the church doors (Luke 11:33-36). The good Samaritan scenario was an example of inaction on the part of the priest and the Levite. They wore their godliness as a badge, but had no compassion or mercy for the injured man on the road (Luke 10:30-37). The parable is a lesson for us to learn.

We sometimes tend to say things like, “I don't care what people think of me!” or “I am who I am.” But the impression we give others by how we behave is important. We are told, “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins” (Hebrews 10:26). Foul language, lying (which includes fibbing), cheating, deceitfulness, mistreating others, etc. are all signs we are not living as we should. When we act like Christ we show love, caring and honor to God in all we do (consider Psalm 55:21 and Proverbs 26:23-25).

Yes, we all make mistakes, but are we trying to correct them? If we are, those errors will begin to disappear, and we will become more and more like our Elder Brother Jesus. The doctor’s office was not horrendous, but its lack of attention to cleanliness was enough to turn me and presumably others away. Our actions can draw people to God or can drive them away from His way of life.

Our actions matter! “Even small children are known by their actions, so is their conduct really pure and upright?” (Proverbs 20:11, New International Version). We are taught to bear good fruit, which means we are to be good examples (Matthew 7:16). It can be the little things that make people look down on us, and in today’s world, people are often looking for anything they can attack. If we claim to be a Christian and do not act as one, people will use us as examples when they are condemning Christianity. We must walk the path of righteousness and leave wickedness behind (Proverbs 4:18-19).