Wearing our colors well

I was born in Akron, Ohio, home of the All-American Soap Box Derby and Lebron James. My dad was born and raised there, and being a product of his environment, grew up a fan of The Ohio State University. He loved the Buckeyes. He passed that on to his son.

When I was three, we moved to that state up north, or the place known as Michigan. From the age of three until I graduated from high school, Michigan was my home. I grew up wearing scarlet in a blue world. I liked basketball, but in this rivalry, football is king. Every year was the annual countdown to the third weekend in November when the colors would collide; the Scarlet and Grey against the Maize and Blue.  Can I get an O-H-I-O?

Growing up in Michigan and as a fan of Ohio State wasn’t always easy — because to some, I was wearing the wrong colors. You could say I was a fish out of water. In my high school, I only recall one other Buckeye fan. I remember the day I went to my locker to get dressed for gym class to find my “Property of Ohio State Athletics” T-shirt ripped to shreds. So I did what any loyal Buckeye fan would do — I took the shirt home and had my mom sew it. It looked ratty, unable to make out most of the words anymore, but the colors looked great. Ever found yourself in a situation where you were made to feel like you were wearing the wrong colors?

Just like I was made to feel growing up a Buckeye fan in Wolverine country, there are times we as people of faith can feel the same. This can cause us to question what we believe. Questions aren’t evil.  Doubt isn’t sin. Asking questions like: Is what I believe true?  Can I trust that the things that I believe will sustain me, and hold up over time?  What are the essentials to our faith? These are all good questions, ones we don’t need to be afraid to ask. We don’t need to be afraid of them, or think God is threatened by them. It’s like Mark Mittelberg shared with us earlier this semester, I want to be passionate about my search for the truth.

So if you’ll let me say it this way, I want to wear the colors well. I never shied away, growing up in Michigan, from wearing scarlet and grey. Neither do I want to shy away from remaining true to what is central to who we are as followers of Jesus. I want to be open to the new things God is saying to us all; I want to be attentive to the leading of his voice in all our lives; I want to live well with you, the community of which I am a part.

So, we’re back to the original conversation — we want to be discerning, wise, and gracious in the conversation. In this process, I need you to help me, and you need others coming alongside you to help you. t isn’t a decision made in a vacuum, but one that needs to be made in community with others that share our team colors. 

I’m praying we continue to journey well together.