“John wanted me to hand out candy at his store in the Santa suit. While doing this, he wanted me to look for shoplifters.”
While I was pastoring a church in the Texas Panhandle for ten years, I became good friends with a man who owned a discount store in our small town. It was the first store of its kind in our entire area and folks flocked to shop there.
"John" and I loved to play golf together. He was probably a slightly better golfer than I, but I was a student of the psychology of golf. All I had to do on the first tee, was ask John how he hit such straight drives with his elbow cocked the way it was. From then on, I could see John looking at his shoulder just before he hit the ball. I managed to win almost every match because of my psychological warfare as much as my own skills!
I remember one chilly day right after Thanksgiving. John had experienced quite a bit of shoplifting in his store and asked if I would help. I was already the town Santa Claus. I visited little kids in the hospital at Christmas time and flew into the airport, rode the fire truck into town, and sat on the big chair at the local theater so greedy little kids could give me their demands.
John wanted me to hand out candy at his store in the Santa suit. While doing this, he wanted me to look for shoplifters. I'd held a job in Chicago at a major department store while at Moody Bible Insitutute, so knew how to do the job properly. I agreed to spend a few hours, especially on Friday night and Saturday at John's store.
It didn't take long my first day to stop a woman stuffing garments inside her extra large coat. Can you imagine the surprised look on her face when I tapped her on the shoulder, waited until she got the full Santa Claus image in her view, and said, "Sorry, lady, but you're busted!" Yep, the police came down, cuffed her and hauled her off to jail!
When I went home that evening, my wife nearly laughed herself silly at the image of a large pussy cat, dressed in a Santa Claus suit, busting this unsuspecting woman.
I guess the best lesson I draw from this is that we ought be mindful of our actions, because we never know who's watching us. We all know that God watches us all the time. He doesn't have to wear a Santa suit, but He is there and He is observing our actions. Let's make Him proud, okay?
Jerry Meyer AKA PapaJ, past away June 21, 2005. He got an early Christmas present. Miss you bunches, Jerry!—Grant