Reading the label

Are you a label reader?

Do you go into the grocery store and check calories per serving? Trans fat? Grams of fiber?

Most of us do. And then we learn that just because the bag uses the words "whole grain" it doesn't mean the product is made with an adequate amount of whole grain. Or that "no trans fat" doesn't actually mean no trans fat, it just means there wasn't enough to require it being reported on the package. And don't get me started on the whole "organic" thing. In theory, it's a great way to eat. In practice, its a difficult lifestyle to ensure. Product labeling requires that if we want to be informed consumers, we have to have a whole lot of knowledge based on reliable resources that we've sifted out of the fathoms of false information.

Have you bought a house lately?

The real estate ad always dwells on the positive ("professional landscaping", "established neighborhood") and doesn't mention the drainage problem or the fact that you'll be living under an airport approach. When the listing dwells on the great shop but doesn't mention the actual house, it should be a red flag to a potential purchaser. Look at enough of them, and you start to recognize the key words that become a sign to go in with sharp eyes and a house inspector.

How about car shopping?

I have gotten into the habit of dividing car ads into two categories - the factual and the fanciful. In some ads, you hear about the safety ratings or awards they've won; in others, the fact that your iPod can hook into the stereo. In some, they show groceries, ski equipment, saddles and possibly a couple circus clowns being stowed in the "ample carrying space"; in others, you see a sporty-looking car with a new wax job weaving along empty coastal highways without a radar in sight.

Christianity is often the same way.

Anyone can claim to be a Christian, and they often do to gain credibility or an audience or sympathy or a new business market or votes. But if you start looking beyond the packaging, the contents simply don't match up. The husband that has an affair, the business man that makes shady deals, the accountant that runs off with the tax money, the woman that has a reputation as a malicious gossip. Does this mean they aren't a Christian? Not necessarily. We are all human and we all sin. But if the day to day facts of their life don't match up with the claims they make, it's time to be aware you're looking at a label. No one deserves our unquestioning support (or our business or our vote) just because the "Hello my name is..." tag on the outside says "Christian."

Others present Christianity as the "house of our dreams." You should never suffer, you should be rich, you'll never have problems and you'll be skinny IF you are a true Christian. Just like the sporty car swooping along the scenic road, your life will be an easy ride if you join our church or give this money to God or whatever they put in the ad. Or the extreme opposite it true. They'll give you the rules and regs and "have tos" of the Christian journey. Life will be hard because we live in a world of sin but get over it and don't bother to smile because we know that's not what counts anyways. It's rigid adherence to our doctrines that marks us as a follower of Christ. Yikes! Talk about an unattractive package!

So how do you get past the packaging? By getting to know the standard. Just like an informed shopper sifts through the information to find the facts that guides their purchase or a bank teller gets familiar with the look and feel of real money in order to recognize the counterfeit, the Christian needs to know what God has to say. If you claim to be a Christ follower, you need to get to know Him. Directly. Personally. Daily. If you aren't a follower of Jesus Christ yet, don't let someone else's label distract you from the real thing. Learn to recognize the "flags" that are only spiritual buzzwords but don't match the offer. Go directly to the source - not just to the flashiest book cover or TV show or presentation. Pick up a Bible, spend time talking to God about it, find a church or pastor that does the same and get familiar with the real thing.

Make the label worthy of the name.