“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (I Corinthians 13:13 New King James Version)
The title above sounds like it would be fitting for an episode in the old, but still televised, Perry Mason Series, “The Case of the Morning Attire.” Hopefully, as with the TV series, the title is intriguing and has you anticipating what this meditation is all about. Well, if you want to really know, take a couple of minutes and read on.
In my closet there are probably 20 black tee-shirts, most of them representing what my focus was at some point in life. There are black tee shirts with the Maki Designs logo, shirts I had made when I thought I would go into a staging business where I would decorate a room and let someone buy the whole room, furniture, lamps, rugs, and various décor accessories. That didn’t last long, but I still have the shirts and continue to enjoy decorating. Also, in my closet there are black tee shirts that I had made with my first Mark Writes logo embossed on them and, of course, more black tee shirts with the new Mark Writes logo. There are black tee shirts with the name of our church, Salt Of The Earth, embossed on it with our embraced logo that indicates what you can do with faith, “Small Means, But Great Results.” There are several other black tee shirts to choose from, one just says, “I’m Maki, Doing Maki Things.” Don’t worry! Those “things” are all good things. I have to mention the shirt that says, “I’m a writer. What you say and do, I just might write about it!’ So true!
Now, I won’t go through my entire collection of black tee shirts, but Wednesday morning I decided to go to the store before 8:00 a.m.to do a return and pick up some items to decorate the fireplace in our education center at church. I decided on one particular shirt for my morning attire. This whole prelude about black tee shirts will make sense as you read further.
While looking at merchandise in the Christmas décor aisle, I saw a preschooler standing by a cart full of items. She is looking at a small red Christmas tree on the shelf, the last of its kind. While she was looking at in, almost like a guard on duty, an older man comes down the aisle and sees the small red Christmas tree. He is about ready to take it off the shelf when suddenly the mother of the toddler comes to the aisle with a candle in her hands. She explains that she was planning to buy the small red Christmas tree and that’s why here child was standing there. The man says, “Well, she didn’t say anything.” The mother says, “She’s four!” As you can imagine this turned into a verbal altercation, short, yet it still qualified as an altercation or a confrontation and both parties revealed their agitation. (Just a little poetry, okay?) One of the store employees stocking shelves nearby hears the two adults arguing over the small red Christmas tree. The interchange included, “I hate people like you” and the retort, “I hate people like you.” I’m still standing there looking. Okay, maybe I’m visually and mentally meddling. But wait! I think I was there for a purpose; there in that aisle so that all things could work out for good, even my choice of which black tee shirt to wear that morning.
The store employee glanced my way, saw my shirt and used it as part of here arbitrating, crisis prevention technique. Here is where “the morning attire,” my choice of which black tee shirt to wear finally comes into the picture. The store employee says, “Do you see that man’s shirt. It says, “I have to decide to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” It is a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King. The two combatant customers paused, and the parent of the preschooler says, “You go ahead and take it. I’ll find something else.” She also apologized. The man did too, He said, “That shirt speaks volumes.” He then hands the red Christmas tree to the little girl and goes on about his business. My morning attire made a difference, a positive difference. We need more people to choose love over hate, not only during the days of the holiday characterized by rushing, crowding, shopping, and spending, but every day. Thet’s especially true for you and me, disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. Think about “The Case of the Morning Attire,” but go beyond that and dress yourself, behaviorally, according to the words of Christ below. Be blessed!
“By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35 New King James Version)
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King