It is funny how the mind reacts when you hear certain words, especially words that describe a type of person or their vocation. Usually you picture certain images immediately that are somehow placed there from your past experiences or maybe even by Mrs. Mars your second grade teacher. Here are some examples: bum, martyr, truck driver, poet, banker, lawyer, doctor and finally Christian. Each person reading this probably has a slightly different take on each of these terms. I would imagine those opinions are based on what we have learned from our pasts. I am not saying that making assumptions about people is a good thing. I think that it is just human nature.
Many years ago, at one of the few times in my life that I was unemployed, I went for a job interview with a local car dealership. It was a fun filled afternoon of recruiting that seemed like some kind of motivational speaker nightmare. For someone like me, that has always thought that honesty and humility will get you further in life, I didn't really know what to make of these guys and their high pressure sales techniques.
Anyway, to get to the point, we had to fill out a survey that had some basic questions in order to show our views on certain subjects. One of the questions on my survey I had to answer was, "What words come to mind when you hear the term Used Car Salesman?" Well, I am sure that my viewpoint was tempered by my own past experiences and the show that I had been watching during this hiring carnival. I answered honestly. I know that as Christians we are not supposed to make assumptions about others, no matter their lot in life. Anyway, my answer to the Used Car Salesman question was "Shyster". Well, my interview process was immediately halted and I was led out the nearest exit.
In hindsight, I guess I really shouldn't have made such a broad generalization. I am sure that used car salesmen exist that uphold the highest moral and ethical standards. There are even lawyers that fall in that category as well. I know, I know. It shocked me too! Well Christians aren't perfect, we are just forgiven.
That brings me to what happened to me just the other day. I was at church for a meeting, when a member of our congregation that I didn't know very well came up to me and said "You're that guy that is going to be a preacher". Well, immediately I didn't know what to think. I had about 10 different versions of what the definition of a preacher is to me, going through my mind.
I know lots of people that call themselves preachers, whose actions that I would not agree with, so that concerned me a little. Then I had a rather silly thought go through my head, Preachers, particularly southern preachers, often get to eat fried chicken on Sunday! Before you laugh too hard, really good homemade fried chicken on Sunday after church is almost a religious experience. Immediately after my fried chicken epiphany, I thought of all the positive connotations of the word preacher. Preaching God's Word is truly something honorable and something to get excited about.
Honestly, I hope to be more of a teacher or someone that is just simply sharing God's word. However, someday hopefully I will earn the title “Preacher” and maybe even get some homemade fried chicken on a Sunday afternoon after preaching my sermon.
Blessings,
Robbin
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