My new bow tie.
I made a recent purchase that excites me. I just bought my first bow tie. It’s not just any bow tie either. It’s an orange and white striped bow tie—UT Vols orange. I have the regular neck tie with the same striping. Now, I have a bow tie to match. I’m anxiously waiting its arrival.
I asked some friends about bow ties. The overwhelming answer was, “No. Don’t do it.” Bow ties get a bad rap. People don’t seem to like them for some reason. The only reason I can find is that it’s a rare eclectic accessory. No one wears bow ties unless they are attending a formal event. That’s not exactly true. Our favorite pediatrician in Nashville always wore a bow tie. Gordon Gee, former chancellor at Vanderbilt and current president of The Ohio State University, always wears a bow tie. But those examples are rare.
The reality is that we live in a world where the neck tie is standard. To borrow the cliché excuse of teens everywhere, “Everyone else is doing it.” A trip to your local department store reveals as much. There are tables and racks full of standard neck ties. There may be one little round rack on the corner of the table holding the bow tie selection. On Ebay there are over 30,000 neck ties to chose from compared to just under 1700 bow ties. We live in a neck tie world. I’m breaking the mold. I’m going to wear a bow tie in a neck tie world. I’m not converting completely to bow ties all the time but I’m not afraid to “rock” the bow tie occasionally. In other words, unlike some I have the courage to wear a bow tie!
I couldn’t help but think of a spiritual application as the peer pressure of my friends attempted to convince me to avoid the bow tie. Isn’t that what happens to us often when it comes to doing the right thing? Perhaps it’s an activity that we shouldn’t do. We take a stand but our friends keep calling to us, “Come on. Do it. It’s only once!” Maybe it’s something you need to do and your friends want you to make a different choice. “Don’t do it…you should do it.” What do we do? It takes courage to stand up against peer pressure and do the right thing. It takes courage to say no to wicked and sinful activities. Paul encouraged us to refuse taking on the same mold as the world around us (Romans 12:1–2). There is a courage-requirement in that text.
Perhaps that’s why we struggle so often. When the world around us is being entertained with sinful things, it takes courage to stand against it. When the world around us believes moderation is the only requirement, it takes courage to say abstinence is the answer. When the world around us says doctrine doesn’t matter, it takes courage to say God cares what you think, teach, and practice. Our friends, family, neighbors, loved ones, and co-workers are all stand a few feet away saying, “Come on! Do what everyone else is doing. Don’t be different. Don’t stick out. Don’t you want to look just like us?” It takes courage to say, “No. I don’t want to be like you. It’s okay to be different!”
Please understand that I don’t think wearing a bow tie or not wearing one is a moral decision. But it is a good illustration of the daily struggle we have. Spiritually speaking, are willing to wear a bow tie in a neck tie world?I dare you to be different!
2 Comments
May 7, 2009 at 4:45 pm
Rock the bow tie man!
Good post,
Jason
May 10, 2009 at 7:36 pm
If you do the right thing, people will think you strange – just like if you wear a bow tie.