My mother warned me that preachers live in “glass houses,” out in view of the whole country. But it’s not just preachers, for men and women in other areas of work live with even more of that public scrutiny than we do.
Newspapers have been full of the news of those whose jobs put them in the spotlight of publicity. As I write these words, Texas legislators have literally left the state to protest a bill in the legislature. Their pictures are in all the newspapers. Also, within the last few weeks, men in other highly public professions have discovered that their “private” lives are hardly private.
Names like Bennett, Price, Eustachy and Harrick know now there is precious little privacy in their public lives. Three of them lost their jobs either because they violated the law or they behaved in a way considered inappropriate. That’s part of the price of notoriety and high salary.
Some are saying, “it’s not fair,” and they are right. But that’s not going to change. Texas football coach Mack Brown is on record as saying “The eyes of Texas are on us every day; fair or not, that’s the way it is.” When one is a public figure, he/she is held to a higher standard of behavior. That’s the “reality.”
Christians often find their lives placed in the same position of scrutiny. While we are aware of our obligation to be “lights in the world,” Philippians 2:15, it is easy to forget that a light will attract attention, even if it is not wanted. That’s reality, whether fair or not. Our example before our friends and neighbors will reveal more about us than our words and all of our convictions. Words may come easy, but purity of life—expected of all who claim to be Christians— often comes hard.
More than thirty years ago a prominent Texas citizen’s name was in all the papers. He was accused of several crimes, and the fact that he was a part-time preacher made the news even more interesting to the public. How much damage did this one person do to the cause of Christ? We may never know, but it is always true that “sin is a reproach to any people,” Proverbs 14:34.
But what about us ordinary folks? Our names are not in the papers, and our deeds will not likely be chronicled in a public way. Still, that does not remove our behavior from public view.
Our children know our lives. Our associates know our language and our character. The neighbors know a lot more about us than we think. Our children’s friends, and those who visit in our home know a lot about what we value and what we do. Those who sit near us at football games–yes, people know a lot about us.
Those coaches (who lost their jobs) are suffering because of their misdeeds, but the bottom line on this is that actions always produce consequences. Perhaps not today or tomorrow; perhaps they are not known by everyone, but ultimately our deeds follow us and they will be made known, Luke 16:25.
The Bible says it this way:
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap,” Galatians 6:7.
That is true in agriculture and in life. Character is defined by our manner of life, not just our words.
If we Christians want the respect of our neighbors, we must earn that respect by our daily living. What we believe is more widely known than we think, and people expect us to live up to what we claim to believe. If we believe the Bible and the Bible teaches purity of life, we should not be surprised that our neighbors and friends expect us to “practice what we preach.” If we do not, they lose respect for us, often permanently.
Is it fair? Well, that is a moot point, for the reality is that how we live speaks volumes about what we believe. And the old cliché deserves to be heard:
- “What you do speaks so loudly
that I cannot hear what you say.”
It’s a lot easier to learn this lesson from the Bible than to learn it the hard way. We all live in a glass house and the world can see in. God, too!
