A week ago, I decided to get myself an earring just for the fun of it. I took a picture of my ear and uploaded it as my Facebook profile picture.
Almost immediately, I got queries from a couple of old ACS classmates and from one of my cousins. They wanted to know if the earring was for real. After all, they remember me as the square nerdie guy whose CCA back then was the Chess Club.Here was how the conversation with my cousin went:
Him: Ur ear stub real or double sided taped?
Me: it's magnetic lah. do u think sockpin would allow me to pierce my ears?
Him: why not? tell her its mid-life crisis and its something u need to do to find urself:) HEEHEE
Me: then i shd hv it placed on my right earlobe instead...
Him: then while u are at it... try a nipple ring too. George may like the new look and say "WHAMMY!" while u dance to YMCA.
By the way, it is imperative that the earring is worn only on the left ear. Guys who wear it on the right ear are sending another sort of signal, if you get my drift...
I have a colleague who attends City Harvest who has two studs in his left ear. There is also a current pastor of Wesley Methodist (who grew up in Paya Lebar Methodist and whose dad is an elder in my church) who has one stud in his left ear.
And unlike my magnetic one, their earrings are for real, ie. they had their ear pierced.
Anyway, it amazes me how till this very day, people are still being judged by outward appearances.
We read in 1 Sam 16:6-7 how Samuel thought that Jesse's other son Eliab would be the one God would choose as king, but God told him "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
We must learn not to judge a book by its cover. I used to hold this stereotypical view that Christians should be clean-cut mummy's boys and makeup-less daddy's girls.
Is it is any wonder then, why guys with tatoos or girls with a not-so-straightforward past are not being drawn to the gospel?
Let us remember that our LORD ate with tax-collectors and publicans, and His ministry attracted the outcasts of society and downtrodden folk of His day. As Methodists, let us also remember how our founder John Wesley started his ministry, by reaching out to the coal-miners of his day.
Unlike country clubs, the church is supposed to be inclusive, not exclusive. Amen?
2 comments:
Hi.
Your blog today is a good reminder. Pastor Prince has always reminded us to focus on being spiritual, not religious. Let's continue to focus on the spirit man, not the outward man. I used to judge a book by its cover, or a man by its appearance but PP has shown us, 'it's the inside that counts!'. Thank Heavenly Abba for removing such 'scales' from my eyes. Such religiosity will only drive away the very people who need to hear the Gospel of Grace!
Will always remember Pastor Joshua once shared that he water baptised a man who had many tattoos on his body. This bro had shared with Pastor Joshua that he intended to remove them after his baptism. This bro had the idea that a 'good' Christian should be tattoo-free. Instead, Pastor Joshua advised him otherwise. He had told this bro, 'Use this as a means to share with your friends that the love that our Heavenly Abba has for you, tattoos and all! This is the Good News.' I was moved to tears with this testimony.
Hi Mal,
Ear piercing for guys nowadays seems to be a matter of vanity or self expression but actually ear piercing has special significance in the bible:
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Exodus 21
Fair Treatment of Slaves
“These are the regulations you must present to Israel.
2 “If you buy a Hebrew slave, he may serve for no more than six years. Set him free in the seventh year, and he will owe you nothing for his freedom. 3 If he was single when he became your slave, he shall leave single. But if he was married before he became a slave, then his wife must be freed with him.
4 “If his master gave him a wife while he was a slave and they had sons or daughters, then only the man will be free in the seventh year, but his wife and children will still belong to his master. 5 But the slave may declare, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children. I don’t want to go free.’ 6 If he does this, his master must present him before God.[a] Then his master must take him to the door or doorpost and publicly pierce his ear with an awl. After that, the slave will serve his master for life.
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A guy whose ear is pierced is declaring to the world that he loves his good master and willingly continues being his slave for life.
So Mal, how about really piercing your ear for Jesus ;-)
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