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shocked me and it takes a lot to shock me.
• Up to this point, I was primarily focused on my granddaughter and her pristine playing on the field, so I did not see right away what I eventually saw. It happened when my granddaughter stepped up to bat for the first time. After that, the whole game went blank for me.
• Behind my lovely granddaughter was the catcher all dressed in the catcher's outfit. That did not startle me. Behind the catcher was the umpire, or so he was pretending to be, and that is what startled me.
• It was a girl's slow pitch softball team and every one of them was dressed in their softball player's outfit. I believe in dressing for the occasion. The occasion was a softball game and those involved in the softball game were wearing attire consistent with the game at hand.
• Then I saw the umpire. And the umpire was wearing shorts! Shorts!
• It is not that I object to a man wearing shorts as long as he does not wear them out in public. The last time I wore shorts I was three years old and it was only because my mother made me wear them. When I had control of my wardrobe, I put away those shorts and began wearing pants like a man.
• I think if the good Lord wanted us to wear shorts, in public that is, He would have made our legs more visually appealing. A man's legs are not appealing, unless they have been in the sun too long and the skin begins to peel.
• A man, especially an old man, has knobby knees, hairy legs and varicose veins none of which should be part of public domain. This is not something I want to see when I am out in public.
• I can dutifully attest to the fact that my legs have not seen direct sunlight in over 50 years. I attribute this to the fact that I wear pants every day of my life. Not short pants, but pants that go all the way down to my ankles. Short pants look like you cannot afford to buy the whole thing.
• For some reason I could not watch the game with the same enthusiasm.
• When I got home that night I settled down a little bit and thought of a verse of Scripture, something Jesus said. "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment" (John 7:24 KJV).
• In spite of my severe old-fogeyitis condition, I must remember not to judge people according to their appearance. It is not what a man looks like but rather, what he does that makes him the man that he is.
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• Rev. James L. Snyder is pastor of the Family of God Fellowship, PO Box 831313, Ocala, FL 34483. He lives with his wife, Martha, in Silver Springs Shores. Call him at 1-866-552-2543 or e-mail jamessnyder2@att.net. His web site is www.jamessnyderministries.com