And when Peter went out
            to the porch,
another maid saw him,
and she said to the bystanders,
"This man was with
         Jesus of Nazareth."

              Matthew 26. 71

(Something different about him
    because he was with Jesus.
Something distinct about us
    because He has
changed our hearts
and recalibrated
     the trajectory of our lives.
The deep marks of His grace,
His healing hand,
His indwelling Presence,
the life-altering evidence
             of being forgiven
      and in forgiving others.
We are surrounded by bystanders
who desperately watch
not to see that we are perfect
but to know that God is real.
Right now, even in this.)