| I ALREADY GOT THE TEE SHIRT One of the guys at our Thursday morning breakfast began promoting the latest men’s program coming to town. We had heard it all before. Then one of the guys said, “I already got the tee shirt!” We all laughed. We were all at the end of our rope with programs that claimed to shape us up as men, husbands, fathers, and Christians. Our wives had suggested many meetings we should attend to make us more spiritual. Of course, they rarely worked. After a few weeks of performing, we always reverted to our usual gross selves. We all knew what was right; the problem was getting the power to do it! I finally realized I couldn’t “act” like Jesus. I had to let him be who He was in me and stop trying so hard to perform. Anyway, I got to thinking about all the “tee shirts” I had worn in my life. All had contributed to my growth. Some good. Some bad. Some in between. I wore the The Kansas Jayhawk tee shirt. The Campus Crusade tee shirt. The Navigator tee shirt. The The The Independent church tee shirt. The Gothard tee shirt. The Promise Keepers tee shirt (and hat). The “I helped the victims” tee shirt. The “ The “I voted for the right guy” tee shirt. The political conservative tee shirt. The Evangelical Christian tee shirt. Anyway, you get the picture. I was proud of my tee shirts at the time I wore them, but the problem was, I didn’t know who I was. I was a product of others’ labels, and others saw me from the outside in. The tee shirts weren’t me, but others thought they were me. Then I found out that God didn’t see my uniform. He saw my heart. So now my tee shirt says, “JIM.” |