Act Like Somebody!
On the rare occasions when all of the children in my children’s class are gone on a Sunday morning, I enjoy the opportunity to visit a ladies Sunday school class. Members of the small class sit around one table. One morning all of the seats around the table were full when I arrived. I had one of those slightly awkward moments when I tried quickly to figure out what to do. A woman who is a few years older than I and a regular class member gave me her comfortable chair, and she sat in a hard one. I tried to get her to take the more comfortable chair. In her good-natured and teasing way, she said, “Sit down and act like somebody!”
I smiled at the reminder of the southernism I have heard so many times before, but had not thought of in a long time. It’s good advice that means simply, “Do the right thing. Protect your reputation — and therefore your family’s reputation.” Benjamin Franklin said,
“Glass, China, and Reputation, are easily crack’d, and never well mended.” — Benjamin Franklin
Franklin was right. God’s Word is clear about how we should interact with other people. On the one hand, we should not “follow the crowd.”
You shall not follow the masses in doing evil.
Exodus 23:2
On the other hand, we should be aware of what other people think:
Respect what is right in the sight of all men.
Romans 12:17
We should be careful who we spend time with:
He who walks with wise men will be wise,
But the companion of fools will suffer harm.
Proverbs 13:20
“Act like somebody” is good advice for our children — if we patiently train them in exactly what we mean by that — and it is good advice for us. After all:
A good name is to be more desired than great wealth,
Favor is better than silver and gold.
Proverbs 22:1
The ultimate Somebody we should act like is the Babe of Bethlehem Who grew up to give His life for us.
. . . [W]hoever keeps His word,
in him the love of God has truly been perfected.
By this we know that we are in Him:
the one who says he abides in Him
ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.
1 John 2:5-6
I heard that statement many times as a child. Thank you God for the many women who loved me enough to teach me exactly what that meant.