Someone said we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. The cover may not truly capture the true story. Sounds like pretty good advice to me. You can’t always tell what is going on inside by the signs or pictures outside.
For example, the way people dress may not be a true reflection of their heart or of who they really are. Twenty years ago I had a bad car accident. I broke both my legs and my left foot was badly crushed. My orthopedic surgeon showed up in surgical attire as expected. After I got to know him better I found out that he road a Harley Davidson and sometimes wore a Harley T- Shirt and almost always wore Cowboy Boots. He saved my life but had I met him on the street dressed like a Harley Rider it might have been harder to believe him to be a highly skilled surgeon. I would have judged him by his clothing alone and would have been very wrong. A few years ago he passed away. I was told that he road his Harley right up till the end.
Someone else might show up in a Christian T-shirt and represent themselves as a Christian when in fact they are just as lost as they can be. Another may show up in tattered clothes and be judged on the basis of their financial place in life giving no thought to their sweet spirit and quiet disposition.
I know someone who recently was hit from behind while waiting for a light to change. They got out to survey the damage and the person who had hit them stated over and over that they didn’t run into them. It was then noticed that the person’s car had a Christian tag. They were then asked how they could represent Christ with a tag like that on their car and lie about what they had done. After a short pause, they confessed and asked for forgiveness.
There are probably a lot of folks who would like to hide their Christian tag, bumper sticker, T-shirt or Cap when they do something wrong. When you represent our Lord be sure that you do so realizing the great responsibility that goes with it. The person who lied about the accident could have done a lot of damage to the other person’s chance of becoming a Christian. The world looks for opportunities to prove that Christians are a bunch of Hypocrites and that no one should want to become one of them.
So if you can’t walk the walk wear a different Shirt.
