By Les Ferguson, Jr.
Columnist

Some things I like. Some things I don’t. 

I like it when I write a newspaper column that engages and, in the process, readers smile, laugh, or think. It’s not much fun when a column bombs. Occasionally, one does, and this may be the one. 

I like it when a sermon hits the sweet spot. I’m not a fan of sermons that die an ugly death. Heaven help me when one flames out; unfortunately, they sometimes do. With the law of averages, it’s about time for that to occur. 

I could go on all day about things I like and things I don’t. Mexican food? Any day. Liver and onions? I had to eat it as a child, never ever again! Fried Mississippi catfish? Yes, please. Salmon? You can’t live long on this earth without accumulating a vast number of likes and dislikes—salmon is most definitely a no-go for me. 

As far as likes and dislikes go, I’m not a proponent of bumper sticker politics, theology, or T-shirts in the same vein. Those little snippets of political or theological truth often fail to take in context or miss a much-needed nuance for proper understanding. 

 On the other hand, at this stage of life I enjoy wearing Harley-Davidson motorcycle or rock band t-shirts—especially when I’ve visited the dealership or rocked out at the concert. 

But recently, I’ve been bombarded on social media with advertisements for a very particular T-shirt with a message that resonates with me. It doesn’t push the buttons of politics or religion. It isn’t pithy, nor does it advocate a cause. Well, maybe it does, but it is not earth-shaking.

Smile with me because the T-shirt says, “I don’t know how to act my age. I’ve never been this old before.”

I need to get one of those shirts. It likely explains a lot in my life, precisely why, on the other side of sixty, I still like motorcycles, rock bands, and the T-shirts that wear the names.

But at the end of the day, cliched or not, I’m less concerned about acting my age and more aware than ever of my need to live like Jesus, be like Jesus.

As the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.”

Age is but a number; Jesus is forever.