Saturday, May 21, 2005

Hats Off To A True Role Model

So I was talking with this kid at work who goes to Tates Creek High School. He mentioned something about thier soccer team, and instinctively I asked him if he knew their star center mid-fielder Taylor Wherle, who is a friend of mine. He said "Yeah, I know him. He's pretty cool. He never does anything bad". Another employee asked "You mean no drugs or alcohol or cursing or anything?" to which the previous employee replied "Nope." I kind of chuckled at hearing this, but then I got to thinking about it. How many of us can say that when our name is mentioned, the first thing people will say about us is that we are a pretty cool person and that we don't do anything bad? This person didn't say "Yeah, he's good at soccer" or " he dresses really well" or even "he's really funny". I don't know about you, but when my name is brought up in a conversation I hope that the first thing said about me is comparitive to what was said about Taylor.
Here we have a great example of what it means to live the true Christian life. As far as I know, this kid that knows Taylor is lost. But through his actions, words, and behavior Taylor has already been a witness to him whether he is aware of it or not. And the best part of it all was seeing the look on my co-workers face when he said that Taylor never doe s anything wrong : he was puzzled. He has know idea why Taylor acts the way he does, which provides Taylor (and myself) a great opportunity to witness to him.
My point here is not to glorify Taylor; he is flawed like the rest of us. But I think he is on the right track to being "above reproach" , which is what Paul says that Christ has called us to be. I think we can all learn a couple of lessons here: first, that actions often do speak louder than words, and second, more good role models like Taylor in a society that looks up to the likes of Brittany Spears, Ron Artest, and 50 Cent. So Taylor, if you read this, I'm proud of you, keep up the good work. We can all learn a lot from your example. But don't get a big head, you're still a schmuck.

posted by Wes @ 8:34 PM

3 Comments:

At 5/21/2005 11:21:00 PM, Blogger Justin said...

i would disagree with everything wholly except for the last statement...;)

 
At 5/25/2005 03:23:00 PM, Blogger Wes said...

You speak the truth, friend. You have obviously been well trained in the ways of the Force.

 
At 5/26/2005 08:56:00 AM, Blogger d blake said...

The idea of people saying "that guy is obsessed with Jesus" has a nice ring to it. But how do you get to that point? Is it through running around talking about nothing but Jesus? I think a lost guy who encountered such a person would say, "That guy's a freak," leaving off the "Jesus" part.

Consider Matt 5:14-16...

14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

...in the context of I Peter 3:15-16:

15But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

So does that mean we hang around waiting for people to ask about Christ? No; we all have a responsibility for personal evangelism and to make people aware of the reason for our "good works." (See the good ol' Great Commission).

As for Taylor, he is apparently living a CONSISTENTLY "good" life, and his life is apparently throwing a lot of light out there. That's a lot more than I can say about 90 percent of professing Christians I know.

 

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