Have you ever been fooled by a message on a t-shirt?
Christian themed t-shirts seem to be everywhere these days. Have you ever seen one and think, “oh, there is a young follower of Jesus,” only to hear them spurt out a flurry of cuss words or rude remarks to another.
Recently I was having lunch alone in one of our fine local establishments when a T-shirt caught my eye. A younger teen-age girl passed my table behind a man who appeared to be her father. As they sat at the table across from me I could read the neon green lettering on her black shirt. It read: PRETEND I’M NOT HERE. THAT’S WHAT I’M DOING!”
At first I smiled at the creativity of someone to capture those young teen age emotions on a T-shirt. Parents have been trying to understand those emotions for generations. Like many her age she had braces and a sprinkle of acne. However, I was drawn to her beautiful auburn hair that was pulled back into a ponytail–very similar to someone else I know.
I thought to myself, “If she didn’t have such an attitude, I would compliment her.” But then something prompted me: “Compliment her anyway. Her T-shirt is a cry for help.” Before I lost my nerve I got up to get a drink refill at the counter, passed her table and our eyes met. Out of my mouth came, “You have the most beautiful hair.” She glared back at me with teen-age attitude. I continued, “You must hear that a lot.”
“No never,” she responded, with a changed look on her face. She then responded with one of those “I forgot I’m wearing braces” smiles. Her dad looked on and smiled with approval. I smiled back and went on to get my drink refill.
As the meal progressed I listend to the laughter and conversation coming from their table. The writer of Proverbs was right “Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances.”
I hope I will never be fooled by a message on a T-shirt ever again.
What word will you speak to others this Holy Week as we celebrated the death, burial and resurrection of our Savior of King. Spreak it! Don’t put it on a T-shirt!
This is my story…