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How Well Do You Wear His Coat?
by Norman and Ann Bales
All About Families

On my way to work, I listened to a conversation on a talk radio program about teenagers who rebel. The talk show participants were discussing things that didn't seem to work - grounding, warning teenagers about friends who are a bad influence, and isolating them from their peers. The talk show hosts admitted they didn't know the answer.

The more they talked the more I realized they actually touched on the solution to the problem without realizing it. They mentioned the fact that many parents warn their children against certain things, but practice the very things they warn against. While they never said it, it became obvious to me that a parent's greatest asset is a credible example.

In her book, Of Whom the World Was Not Worthy, Marie Chapian tells the story of two Yugoslavian men named Jakov and Cimmerman. Jakov attempted to share his faith with the skeptical Cimmerman. Cimmerman would remind him that church leaders in his town had plundered, exploited and killed innocent people, including his own nephew.

Jakov responded, "Suppose I were to steal your coat, put it on and break into a bank." He imagined eluding the police, but the police recognized the coat and went to arrest Cimmerman. Cimmerman would, of course, deny having robbed the bank. The fact that someone else wore his coat would not make him guilty of the crime. As Jakov saw it the wicked church leaders were fraudulently wearing the Christian coat.

The illustration angered Cimmerman and he asked Jakov to leave, but Jakov kept visiting, encouraging and sharing the love of Christ. One day Cimmerman asked, "How does one become a Christian?" Jakov wanted to know what changed his heart. Cimmerman said, "You wear His coat very well."

Jakov's example melted the skeptical heart of Cimmerman. Your example has great power to convince your children. How well do you wear His coat?