IMAGinE thIS...

I’ve always wrestled with the idea of image.  I think one of the reasons I struggled and wrestled with it over the course of my life is because I grew up as a preacher’s kid or “PK” for short.  As a preacher’s kid, in general, there is one of 2 ways you can go.  You can either be the “clean behind the ears”, Christ-following “example of how a kid should act” or you can be the rebellious heathen that some PKs sadly turn out to be.  Unfortunately, it is the latter of the two that the public focuses on the most and the rest of us have to deal with the negative image.  The image that says, preacher’s kids are all rebels and don’t want anything to do with their daddy’s religion.          

My parents raised me to know the difference between right and wrong, to love everyone, and to be the best example of Christ I could be to those around me based on what the Bible taught me.  So, I chose the narrow road: partly out of a desire to live as a Christ-follower, partly out of a desire to please, partly out of a fear of what punishment I would face if I strayed (even though my parents were usually quite forgiving), and partly out of a knowledge that bad behavior would reflect poorly on me, on my parents, and on my father’s ministry.

The reason I tell you about that little piece of personal history is to tell you this.  My struggle with how to live my life as a kid was largely based on PUBLIC image.  How would it look if I was a rebel and strayed from the church?  How would that look for my parents and especially my father, a preacher?  These are questions that dominated my decision-making process.  For most people, public image plays a big role in the vast majority of our everyday decisions and unfortunately the biggest and most important decisions we can make are bathed in and affected by public image.  I use the word “unfortunately” because public image should not be a primary factor in determining who we are and what we do, but it is.  

            Try to fill in the blank: “Image is _______”.  You probably guessed it; the answer is “everything”.  This is what our society says; therefore, this is the big factor for most people when making decisions; in fact, often it is the only factor.  What if I told you I agree with that statement......just go with me for a second......let’s say, image IS everything; what if we all decided to live our lives in the image of Christ?  What if we agreed with that statement saying that the only image that matters is what Jesus says is important; therefore, we will live according to HIS standards?    

      

Imagine this: What if we all lived according to the image God desires for us?  Imagine what changes we could make in our lives and the changes that would happen around us.  Imagine who you could affect for Christ; imagine who would take notice of the change in you.  What would they say?  What would they think?  How would that change the way they see you and act around you? IMAGINE.........