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If you’ve been with me this week you’ve met the Tator family: the father, Dick Tator, his wife, Emmy Tator, their daughter Hessie, and their son, Aggie Tator. We can learn a lot from the Tator family. There’s one more member of this unique family that I’d like you to get to know. It’s Grandpa Spec Tator.
Now, everybody loves Grandpa Spec; he’s a comfortable, likeable person. But all his life he’s been one of those people who watches what everyone else is doing, criticizes them when they make a mistake, comments freely on their performance, but never ever gets involved. Spec Tator is always on the sidelines, telling everybody else how it ought to be done, but never doing it.
Someone has said the church today is much like a football game. The majority of the people are watching a small minority perform. And those watching desperately need exercise, while those performing desperately need rest.
You know, there are an awful lot of people like Grandpa Spec Tator around today. They stay in the bleachers, yelling at everyone else, but never getting involved in the fight. The 80/20 factor is a well-known measure in the business world. We usually get 80% of our business from 20% of our customers and 80% of our problems from 20% of our customers. Unfortunately, so often the body of Christ has that same problem. So much of the work is done by so few.
How wonderful it would be if the Spec Tators of the world would join in and pull their share of the weight. I’ve noticed the Spec Tators are the first to criticize, the first to find fault. A person who is involved in the performing and doing is much more understanding and tolerant than those who simply stand on the sidelines and watch.
Well, they’re quite a family, this Tator family: Dick, Emmy, Hessie, Aggie and Spec Tator. If you run into them somewhere along the way, perhaps you’ll remember what I’ve said about them. Or maybe it’ll cause you to ask yourself if any of these Tators has gotten into your family—into your life.
