By HAROLD KELLER

It’s the sign of the times! Baseball caps worn backwards, men with earrings, other parts of their bodies pierced (noses, eyebrows, tongues, etc.) and probably the most rebellious act, young men wearing their pants so low that four or five inches of their underwear is visible.

A couple of years ago, while driving toward Baton Rouge, I saw a young man walking slowly in the same direction as I was going and carrying a lunch box. As I approached him, I noticed that he looked tired, and though I had no intention of picking him up as I drove past him, I was convicted to turn around and offer him a ride. As he got in the car, I said, “You confused me the way you have your cap on backwards. I thought you were going the other way.” He smiled, and I said, “God told me to turn around and pick you up.”

I introduced myself. He told me his name and was sincerely grateful for the ride. I reached over, turned his cap around, and said, “Now that looks better. It now looks like you are going forward, not backward.”

He was wearing an earring. “Why do you wear that cheap earring?” I asked. Smiling, he answered, “Don’t know. Guess it’s just the style.” I then proceeded to tell him what a pierced ear meant in the Old Testament.

When a slave master offered freedom to a slave after seven years (which was the law), and the slave, for whatever reason, refused to leave, he was marked by piercing his ear, which was a sign that he would be a slave forever.

When the young man got out of the car, he thanked me. I wished him well and told him that Jesus loved him, even with his cap on backwards and his cheap earring, but God wanted him to become a real man and a role model.

It’s amazing how people will do things and not be curious about where the tradition started. The style of wearing your pants loose and several inches below the waist can be traced back to slavery in America

When the slaves were sent to the cotton fields early in the day, they were given a rope to hold up their pants. At the end of the day, the rope was taken away from the slave. Why? If they tried to escape, it would be hard to run while trying to hold up their pants.

What’s the reason for this article? I hope to send a message to some young people to straighten up, fix their caps, and start looking like they’re moving forward. Quit piercing your body and spending your money on cheap-looking jewelry that doesn’t add anything to your character.

Lastly, pick up your pants and quit being a slave to the styles of this world that were taken from old traditions during the times that are behind us.

HAROLD KELLER writes this column as part of his affiliation with the Get High on Life religious motivational group. Call him at (985) 652-8477 or write to P.O. Drawer U, Reserve, LA 70084.