...bathroom revelations

so i'm making use of the, uh... restroom facilities at panera last night and i notice--as always--the stall i'm in is out of toilet paper. this is becoming a recurring problem at this facility.

the toilet paper dispenser's brandname, ironically enough, is "Never-Out."

i started thinking about how easy it is to carry a name or title without actually living up to it. the fact that the toilet paper dispenser was stamped with the "Never-Out" brandname did not effect it's performance in the least. are there times in my life that i proudly display the christian "brand name," but fail to deliver that which the name implies? when i see people hurting and i walk past with indifference or anesthetic apathy at most... when i love myself or my position more than the person i'm interacting with... when i carelessly follow trendy philosophies or empty worldviews... when i don't put in my best work at my job... when i just idly meander through life for a couple days, complacent, vegged out, and looking out only for myself...

...often i'm just another empty toilet paper roll boasting "never out."

then i noticed the manufacturer's logo. "Georgia Pacific." the performance of this one toilet paper roll dispenser, continually falling short time and time again when i need it most, has actually come to effect my perception of the manufacturer. if it's such a great company, why doesn't its products reflect that greatness?

all of us are created imago dei. in the image of God. when we accept Christ, we become His ambassadors. ephesians 1 says we are sealed with His Spirit. brandmarked if you will.

i'm carrying around the reputation of Jesus Christ.

i think it's ephesians 4:1 where paul writes from prison, "i urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received."

that's heavy...

i want to live a life worthy of the Christ whose name i bear.

i don't want to drag the name of Christ through the mud and dirt and slander of my mistakes.

i want people to see my life, and say Jesus. looks. great.

i don't want to be another empty toilet paper dispenser.