So I owned a pair of pink pants...

Ready...here we go...flashback to the year 1989.

Back in high school, I bought and owned a pair of Bugle Boy pink parachute-style pants (see photo to right). Yes, I purchased and chose to wear them. I found they looked really good with my pair of newly introduced florescent yellow and green Nike Aqua Socks. What a sight. I laugh a little now at my choices. But the reality is that in 1989, this is who I was, and I liked it.

It is weird, but I remember a lot about buying those pink pants - almost like it was burned into my memory.  I was shopping with my mom in the men's section of one of our big anchor department stores at our local mall. The men's department was in the basement and the rack holding these bright pants was right along the aisleway. They caught my attention as soon as I stepped off the escalator.

I immediately was drawn to the florescent yellow pair, because I played tennis and thought they would be cool to wear for warm ups (and because they were the exact color of a tennis ball). As I quickly worked through the sizes, I realized there was no yellow, green, or blue in my size - only pink.

As though it was yesterday, I can remember the thought process that ran through my mind.  "Don't worry, pink is cool."  Don Johnson on Miami Vice had made guys wearing pink a trend, but was I bold enough to ask my mom to buy me a pink pair of pants?

I took my size and headed to the fitting room. Did anyone see me? Did I care? The pink pants fit perfect. Now, to convince my mom. I believe I grabbed a couple shirts and threw the pants in with the pile. My mom was quick to find the pink pants. "What are those?" she asked.  Now, you must understand my mom was good about knowing what was appropriate and what was not.  She also was good at letting me down easy when I wasn't going to get what I wanted. But in this case, she just said, "Do they fit."  I said yes and we added them to the items we were buying. I am pretty sure that my mom knew that I was a confident kid and could take what wearing these pants would bring.

As we headed to the counter, to purchase the pink pants, I noticed it was an older gentlemen behind the counter. For some reason, even though I was comfortable with the pants, I sensed he wasn't. He pulled out the tag and began ringing them up and then said, "A lot of people wouldn't be this daring" - immediately I felt that I might of made a poor choice (I am sure some of you reading this are still thinking that).  Later when I became a salesperson myself, I realized this man was not really good at his job. Good salespeople want to know if you like the product they are selling, yet he was more concerned with the judgement of the masses than with me.

Back in 1989, I learned a lesson that I am still having to learn as a follower of Christ. You see, I believe God is more concerned about you and me than the judgement of the masses. The Church is often in the position of my salesperson that day, wanting to question one's motives, even often question one's choices before really knowing the person. I truly believe the God of the Universe wants to know you and me. Just as he wanted to know the paralytic being lowered into the over-crowded room, or the woman caught in adultery surrounded by men with large stones in hand. The Church is simply too quick to say, "A lot of people wouldn't be this daring."  But Jesus was.  He was daring, out of the box, and I believe he would have even wore pink pants - simply because he wanted to.

Most of all, the lesson I keep learning is that God really wants to get to know me - know what I think, know what I want, know who I am.  He wants to let me know that I exist, that I matter, that I am loved - pink pants and all.

No, looking back, a lot of people weren't daring enough to wear pink pants, but I was and it taught me a life-long lesson. God loves you way more than the judgement of the masses!