Clay in the Hands

Many of you are probably old enough to remember when computers began to make their way into everyday life.  It was a new thing for most of us.  I was in graduate school in the late 80’s when I got my first computer.  It had a 20 megabyte hard drive and I thought I would never use that much memory (wow!).

Back then, the software was good for the time but there was an issue with putting things on the screen and then having to print the file to see what it would actually look like on the page.  Software that could give you the same look on the screen as the page proudly advertised the acronym WYSIWYG.  It became a word that people recognized.  The acronym stood for “What You See Is What You Get” – pretty creative huh?  You could format the document or spread sheet and see on the screen what it would look like on the page.

In thinking about all of this, I am reminded that as Christians, we are to be transparent.  When people encounter us, what they see should be what they get – no hidden agendas and no masks.  I realize this is counter-cultural.  The world would say “never show your hand” and “don’t let them see you cry.”  In other words, the world would say, “never let them see your true self.”  Wouldn’t life be simpler if everyone was just honest and transparent.

As Christians, we must set this example.  It is a challenge for sure, but one that we are called to live if we are going to follow Jesus.  Take the challenge!