Our culture teaches self-consciousness, for reasons unknown, which is why we all look around after tripping to see if anyone else saw it (although I do that less now than I used to, and can only hope it's a result of getting older, not the result of falling down a lot). We know that other people are watching us. And since people are watching, wearing one's own name well becomes pretty important for those who will need a good reputation in the future (it can be hard to be hired as a primary school teacher, for instance, if there are wild college pics of the prospective educator splashed across the internet). And it also belies the notion of "Forget what everyone thinks and do what you want," for while this is acceptable advice for some things (the colour you paint your living room, for example), it becomes considerably less valid when FedEx won't hire you because of all those DUIs.
Blah blah blah it's-all-about-me cakes; how I carry myself is one thing. It's when I do wear someone else's name that this takes on serious importance. I like to repeat this little parable from my sister's experience: A CVS employee regularly came into the McDonald's where my sister is a manager. Every day the employee was dressed for work, complete with CVS name tag, and every day she found something to complain about. And it didn't take my sister long to decide that CVS was not the place she wants to spend her money. Here in the Cheeky household we feel much the same about Wal-Mart (or, as we call it, The Store That Shall Not Be Named); although we've returned to shopping there occasionally, for several years we didn't set foot in any WM store, because of the rudeness we encountered there.
If you are a believer in Jesus, you have probably already guessed where I'm going with this. We do not have the luxury of being careless about how we behave in public. It's not right that the Sunday-morning crowd is known for being jerks at restaurants. There is no reason why people should drive by our buildings in disgust because of the behaviour of Christians they know. And yet, it happens...
The world is watching. Give them something worth seeing.
1 comment:
Morgan and I were treated very rudely at a video store and never went back. It since went out of business. (probably because of netflix, not due to lack or patronage on our part)
We had an awfully rude waitress once who was more concerned with everything else than waiting on us or being even slightly friendly. We complained and got a coupon for a free meal, which we used but have not been back and that has been probably three years ago.
There has also been a church that I have attended a few times where the speakers would say that other churches and religions were wrong and falling short. They would also make comments about how their practices and beliefs were better than others. They basically said everything I believed and how I worshiped was well, wrong.
How many times do we as Christians do this? How many times do we say horrible, mean things about someone and don't even realize we are gossiping and hurting the people we are talking about and making ourselves not appear very Christ like. Also when someone believes differently than us or shares a different view or opinion and we refuse to listen, but call them out and insist unless they believe the way you do the really aren't very good Christitans.
How are people viewing us and how we are treating others and others our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Makes you think how people might be really perceiving you and your actions.
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