Ephesians 4:17-24
As a follower of the Lord, I
order you to stop living like stupid, godless people. Their minds are in
the dark, and they are stubborn and ignorant and have missed out on the
life that comes from God. They no longer have any feelings about what
is right, and they are so greedy that they do all kinds of indecent
things.
But that isn’t what you were taught about Jesus Christ.
He is the truth, and you heard about him and learned about him. You were
told that your foolish desires will destroy you and that you must give
up your old way of life with all its bad habits. Let the Spirit change
your way of thinking and make you into a new person. You were created to
be like God, and so you must please him and be truly holy.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Greg
and I spent one year back in our home town of Heber Springs after
college before returning to Russellville, Arkansas, the “college town”
where we began our life together. When I went to interview for a
teaching position in Russellville, I first appeared before an “interview
committee” that consisted of teachers and administrators from the
district. I wore my best dress (actually, it was almost my ONLY dress –
a graduation gift made for me by Mother) and tried to make my best
impression.
Two weeks later, I received a “call-back” from the
superintendent for a personal interview. I had no opportunity to find a
new dress for my Saturday morning appointment. So I swallowed hard and
wore that same green dotted dress.
The superintendent was kind,
and the interview went well. Much to my chagrin, he noticed that I was
wearing the same dress. I wanted the floor to open and swallow me
whole. But he said, “That helped me to remember you from the first
interview!” Instead of this being a deterrent, this man turned it into a
positive. And for the eight years that I taught in the Russellville
School District, Mr. Harvey Young and I maintained a great working
relationship. Mr. Young saw beyond my outward appearance to my
professional capabilities. I hope he noted that my concern was more with
what I could do for the children than whether I wore a new dress to the
interview.
What we say and do matters. Appearance is
important…but it’s not about name brand clothing or “knowing the right
people.” God calls us to stick our nose to the grindstone and
“git-r-done” as He has directed. Whatever and wherever He has called us
to serve, we are expected to show up and show out for Him. Often, this
means letting go of some old habits – and maybe an old association or
two. We are known by the company we keep…and while God wants us to love
ALL people, He calls us to be careful about where and how we associate
with a few of them.
This tax-free weekend, many of us will
scramble to amass back-to-school items for kiddos. We will think about
the “fresh start” for children and teachers on August 15 (for Arkansas),
and we will anticipate how nice everyone looks in their new clothes,
toting new backpacks filled with fresh supplies. It’s a “clean slate,”
so to speak.
Many individuals and groups are working to ensure
that ALL CHILDREN have a full backpack and nice things for this starting
point…a “level playing field” on which to begin the school year. But
like the teacher interviewing twice in the same dress, I pray that what
is important is the nurturing of the hearts and minds of these precious
youngsters. And I pray that like my superintendent, we look beyond the
outward adornments and see what God sees…the inner person.
What
will others see if they scrape away the layers and look at you? Will
they even get that far…or have you covered up with so much effort to fit
in and be like everyone else (or someone else altogether) that the
Christian disciple whom God has called you to be is buried beyond
recognition? Let this be the day that you remove the facade and allow
your “servant self” to shine brightly. Be the best possible form of you
that God has designed. Let others see someone they really want to be
around – and emulate. This can be something of a fresh start for all of
us. What will you make of yours?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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