Mike Edmisten Follower of Jesus. Husband of Nicki. Father of Ryan & Brock. Communicator of the Word.

Shirt Study

The fair in nearby Brown County is going on this week. Since this county fair actually takes place in our hometown, my family enjoys spending time there. It's always good seeing folks we haven't seen in a long time. Ryan loves the rides. The food is expensive but very good.

And then there's one more intriguing thing about the fair…people watching. A county fair is a very interesting study in sociology. It draws all kinds of people from all kinds of backgrounds.

As I was walking around the crowded fairgrounds, I decided to purposely notice the different messages that people were wearing on their T-shirts. Here are some memorable ones, complete with the description of the person wearing the shirt…

Eat. Sleep. Fast pitch. (teenage girl)

Does your face hurt? Cuz it's killin' me. (middle aged woman)

Stop reading my shirt. (middle aged woman)

Every great idea I have gets me in trouble. (teenage boy)

Thank God for country boys. (John Deere shirt worn by a 20-something woman)

You call me bi*** like it's a bad thing. (for sale at a merchant's booth)

I imagine that you have developed an opinion of each person based on their age, gender, and the message on their shirt. (For the last one, you probably have an opinion of the person who would buy that shirt.) As hard as I tried not to, I did the same thing a couple of times.

Snap judgments are so easy. How often do you take just a cursory glance at someone and immediately make a judgment call? Or you hear them utter a sentence or two and you judge them. Or you notice something about their clothing and you pass judgment on them.

It reminds me of another shirt I saw recently that had this message printed on it:

Judge, Jury, and Executioner (worn by a 30-something man)

If the shirt fits, wear it. Would that shirt's message fit your life?