Influence...?

I am outspoken about my faith around colleagues. Not "in-your-face" but in occasional comments, pointing to the faith within our work, and (as always, it seems) as the default prayer in meetings and community gatherings. Anyone who comes in to my office can't ignore the gigantic cross on the wall, picture of Jesus, and a few other indicators of whom I serve. Although I probably don't recruit and evangelize as much as I should, I don't think anyone would be surprised that I am a Christian and, even beyond that, have a fairly high standard when it comes to morality (or at least, I like to think so!).

Even so, I found it curious last Friday when I was up in Edison, New Jersey at a training for our computer software with colleagues from other YouthBuild sites, (most of whom I have worked with for the last year, although certainly not as close as my day to day coworkers) one of the trainers gave me in particular an alert. She was about to show a few other participants a video on Youtube (this was during the lunch hour) and, seeing me sitting there, said, "Jen, I just want to let you know that there are a few curse words in here, so I hope you aren't offended".

I looked at her bemused and didn't know what to say ("Thank you for the head's up" didn't even enter my mind). She repeated herself and I finally managed to say, "Um, ok--thanks" and went on doing what I was doing.

Why didn't she warn the folks she was showing the video to about the language? Why didn't she warn anyone else still in the room? Why did she point me out? ME?

It made me feel a few ways...I hear such atrocities coming out of the mouths of our kids and others all day and I just kinda correct it (if it's a kid) or ignore it --it's par for the course in this line of work, so she couldn't have thought that I never hear bad language...I can't think of a time when working with this particular group of folks where I've had consistent opportunities to share my faith (although I'm sure I have in some ways once or twice). Maybe the cross(es) I wear around my neck? Maybe she thought that since I worked for a faith based organization I must be "religious"?

I might just ask her because I really am curious...perhaps, in whatever ways I'm just being Jen, I'm having more of an impact on people than I know? And I don't think that's a bad thing...Part of me wonders if the others who she did NOT warn about the impending curse words felt some type of way, like, why were my ears more prone to offense than theirs? Something to ponder...