I saw something the other day that bristled my feathers a little bit. It was a bumper sticker with a comically drawn lady in a glamour model-esque pose that said, "I teach because Hollywood hasn't called yet." Now first off, as a Certified Teacher in the State of Texas, I resent the insinuation that teachers teach because they can't do anything else. Remember the old joke, "Those who can, do; those who can't do, teach." Grrr! Teaching is a calling. I realize that some people teach for a lack of anything else, but by far, most of the people I know who teach do it because they love it. Why else would they put up with everyone else's kids for 9 months of the year?
The other (less personal, but no less passionate) reason that stirs me up is because of the "hierarchy of jobs" that exists in our society. Is being an actor in Hollywood more important or more honorable than investing in children and teaching the next generation? Is being a doctor more important to our society than the police officer who patrols the streets keeping us safe? or the guy who digs the drainage ditch so that neighborhoods don't flood? or the garbage man who removes our garbage twice a week so that we don't have to think about what happens to the tons and tons of waste that Americans produce each week?
When I was young, I worked summers at the local Pizza Hut. I did it all at some point, but primarily I was a waiter. It wasn't glamorous, but I had several friends who worked there and we had a GREAT time. Anyway, one day a guy who spent most of his time washing dishes came to me and asked me if I would do him a favor. I was pretty shocked, because this was a rough kind of guy and we'd never really spoken up to that point, but I said sure. And I'll never forget the words he said to me. He pulled me aside and said, "I don't like my life, and I want to change. You look like you've got your sh** together, and I want to know if you'll help me learn to be more like that." (I told you, I remember exactly what he said!) So, shocked as I was, we spent some time together over the next few weeks talking about this and that, and it was a wake up call to me that other people are watching you when you don't expect it, and they can see Christ in you. You don't have to beat them over the head with your Bible and yell "Bless Jesus, Praise the Lord" all the time. Just live the life the kind of life that God has instructed us to live and others will notice. I have friends who have similar stories from being in the Armed Forces. The military guys would ridicule the "Bible-thumping" Christians, but they respected my friends and would listen to them because of who they were on a daily basis. Godly, honorable, non-condemning, authentic guys who worked hard and loved their families and other people.
So what does all this have to do with Labor Day and Living a Lifestyle of Worship? I believe to the core of my being that whatever God has called us to do, our daily lives - our lifestyle - MUST reflect our love for and dependence on God. Non-Christians are everywhere, and whether or not they're ready to admit it, they know deep down that they need something. And when they see you living a life devoted to God, they are drawn to it...usually very slowly, but like the guy at Pizza Hut, they notice. And that's when God has room to work in their lives through you...
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