I saw another one.

I saw it just this morning as Patrick (the dog) was taking me out for my morning walk.

There on the other side of the street was a pleasant-looking (judging by first impressions) young man wearing THAT T-shirt. 

You know the one I mean. If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen a hundred.

It’s the black T-shirt with large, white lettering that says, GOOD VIBES ONLY! Yes, including the cute little exclamation point.

Most of the time I treat this T-shirt message exactly the way I treat nearly every T-shirt message I encounter; as nothing more than a white noise backdrop to my mundane, meandering musings.

But today, for some inexplicable reason, my attention was arrested. 

I paused. I noticed. I pondered. 

And of course, I launched instantly into a personal “vibe check.” What kind of vibe was I giving at that moment? I mean, it was a beautiful morning with clear, blue skies… no part of my body ached any more than it usually does… Patrick was not chasing squirrels or pooping in a neighbor’s yard. Everything seemed to check out. 

But I couldn’t help but wonder; was I, in fact, giving off the requested “good vibes”? If so, were they detectable by the guy in the T-shirt? Was there any action I could take to amplify my good vibes so that I might win the coveted “thumbs up” gesture from T-shirt guy?

So many questions. So many totally superfluous, borderline ridiculous questions.

And so, before I take this next little turn in the road, let’s clarify one thing: I am ALL in favor of good vibes. I also support people who encourage me to vibe in a positive direction. Heck, I much prefer being around people who are cheery, upbeat, even perky instead of spending time with the Debbie Downers of the world. 

Don’t we all?

But what happens if my vibes – for whatever reason – are OFF? What if I have a cold? Or a sprained knee? What if I just heard some really bad news about a friend or family member? What if I have just about had it up to HERE with the sniping and snarling and political bickering I see on TV every day?

What will T-shirt guy do? How will he respond to the sour, mopey, depressed, or angry vibes I am giving off? Will he cross to the other side of the street? Or shake his head disapprovingly?

Of course, I am being facetious with this question. But there really is a semi-serious thought behind it, believe it or not. In all likelihood, you and I run into people every day who are not giving off particularly good vibes. 

For one of those reasons I listed above (or dozens of others), they are down. They are having a hard time coping. They feel sad, angry, frustrated, abandoned, annoyed, belittled, or ashamed…

… and then they turn the corner and bump into T-shirt guy telling them they really shouldn’t feel that way. How do you suppose that message makes them feel?

I can’t tell you this with absolute certainty, but I’d be willing to bet Jesus never wore a “Good Vibes Only!” T-shirt. Heck, I bet he didn’t even OWN one!

That’s because he knew people can emit a wide variety of vibes based on a wide variety of life circumstances. Being fully human as he was, Jesus knew that life sometimes sucked for people.

But instead of shaming or guilt-tripping them for it, he LOVED them for it. In fact, he spoke his own message of love directly to them when he said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28, NRSVUE). 

You know… since arriving back home after Patrick’s walk, my vibe has mostly been good today. Sure, there have been one or two irritations and setbacks, but nothing worth writing home about. 

And so, it gives me unending comfort to know that if my vibe ever does turn SERIOUSLY bad, I can turn to a compassionate savior instead of a nice, anonymous T-shirt guy for relief and understanding.

Abundant blessings;