How do we know someone’s “made it,” that they’ve reached their goals in life?
In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby’s success is apparent to everyone he comes into contact with. He throws glittering parties, with the lights shining from his lakefront mansion like a horde of fireflies on a moonless night.
Jay Gatsby wanted everyone to know he’d “made it,” especially an old flame who lived on the distant shore of the lake. It was all about her, and he wanted to attract her attention.
Jay Gatsby wanted to be noticed.
Do the people we interact with every day know that we’ve “made it” when it comes to our salvation? Do we turn on all the lights, throw glittering parties, and shine with the brilliance of the best of God’s creation?
What should people see when we’re parading Christ to the world?
Let’s turn to Paul in Acts 18:18 for our example.
“After this, Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of the brothers and set sail for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had cut his hair, for he was under a vow.”
No one could have missed that, a bald pate, shining in the sun, with the brilliance of all God’s creation.
Whoa, now, we say. Chop off all our hair? How does that prove anything?
Our hair isn’t what this is about. In Paul’s day, proving that a vow was serious in intent required people to do something tangible. Paul cut his hair. We have other ways to do that today.
Try some of these on for size:
Toss out all the booze.
Wear conservative clothing.
Actually show up at church on Sunday morning. Every Sunday morning.
Write a check to that missionary.
Write an even bigger one to the church.
It all comes down to this: We need to live differently than when we were in the world. People need to see evidence of our changed behavior. They need to see the proof that we’ve “made it” in our relationship with Christ.
Jay Gatsby paraded his wealth like a Fourth of July fireworks show. No one had to question if he was wealthy. If someone says to us, “Oh, I didn’t know you were a Christian,” then we still have our hair. Let’s get out the scissors and get Christ out there for everyone to see.
It’s what people notice about our walk with Christ that makes them want to join in on our walk with Christ.
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