A
few weeks ago, I had an interesting experience: I was actually mistaken for
someone else. I was at an event where my pastor and his wife
were being honored for their decades of ministry. At one point, a lady came up to me and asked
me if I was the emcee for the event.
Presuming that she was joking, I replied that I guess so. Then she asked me if I was still on the
radio. At that moment, I understood what
was happening. This dear lady was
confusing me with my dad. I had to
explain the whole situation. The man
before her was Kevin Bauer, not Jerry.
And while he and I have a resemblance, Jerry Bauer had passed away
unexpectedly almost two years ago. The
poor lady was embarrassed, but I told her that it completely understandable.
This
case of mistaken identity was surreal, but as I thought about it some more, it
dawned on me that if my dad lived a rebellious, defiant, lifestyle it might
have been a very different experience for me.
For instance, imagine if I had to admit, “he made shameful choices. I’m trying to make amends for the disgrace he
put on the family name.” Thank God I didn’t have to say that because it isn’t true. I actually told the
uniformed lady that my dad was the most selfless person that I knew, and that I
wanted to follow in his footsteps. To
put it another way: I may look like my
dad physically, but I want to look like him in his unselfish conduct as well.
My
brother, Mark, said something quite apropos at my dad’s service. I plan to share the entirety of his comments
on a future blog, but for today, consider this important excerpt: “I want to
thank him for making me the person I am.
He didn’t teach me through words, by preaching at me, he taught me
through example.” Amen! Eric Metaxas, in his book, “7 Men and the
Secret to Their Greatness”, puts it this way:
“You can talk about right and wrong and good and bad all day long, but
ultimately people need to see it. Seeing
and studying the actual lives of people is simply the best way to communicate
ideas about how to behave and how not to
behave.” My dad lived out this concept.
I
recently went to a family reunion. One
of the highlights of this trip was spending time with my Great Aunt Oca. She is in her 80’s now and she just shines
for Jesus. At one point, when she was
given the floor, she spoke of this same concept; living your faith, not just
speaking empty words that don’t back it up.
She sang an old hymn written back in the 1920’s called “What You Are” by
H.S. Lehman. Check out these powerful
words:
“What you are speaks so loud that the world can’t hear what you
say. They’re looking at your walk, not
listening to your talk; they’re judging you by your actions every day.” For all the wonderful benefits that words
have, I submit to you that modeling a godly lifestyle is an undeniably powerful
concept. I’ve renewed my commitment to
living my faith out, and I trust you will do the same.
Kevin
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