Flying across the country over the Thanksgiving holidays, I finally had the chance to finish reading a book I've been working on, Johnny U: The Life and Times of John Unitas by Tom Callahan. For those of you much younger then me, Johnny Unitas was the quarterback who led the Baltimore Colts to the World Championship in 1958 and 1959 (before they invented the "Superbowl"). To many who follow professional football, he was the greatest quarterback to have played the game.

I'm biased, of course, because I was born in Baltimore and grew up watching Colts football with my grandfather. Unitas was my hero, not only because of the amazing talent he showed on the field, but because of the good role model he was in public. A very ordinary and humble man, Johnny Unitas never became too famous to take the time to talk to his fans.

Unitas was a devout Catholic. One of the interesting things Callahan brings out was the way Unitas refused to let football change who he was. From his earliest days playing the game, wherever the Colts were playing, Unitas would find a Catholic church near the stadium where he could attend mass.

And what's even more interesting is that the other Colts players followed. Most of the players were Catholic, not all particularly devout, but when John went to church, they did, too. He was their leader, on the field and off.

This reminded me of Romans 12:2 (I'll quote the JB Phillips version because I love the language he uses):

Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God re-mold your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.

We Christians are role models, often when we don't even realize people are watching. Most of us are immersed in the secular world in our jobs, our schools, our families, in the places where we shop and travel. And especially, in our blogs. We're all under relentless pressure to conform: in speech, thought, values, and actions. But Christ calls us to be non-conformists. Christ calls us to live true to him, at all times, in all circumstances. And when we do, others notice.

Who is watching you today? Who is looking to you as a role model, perhaps without your knowing it? Don't let the world squeeze you into its mold. Instead, let us all live so that Christ's light is reflected in all that we do and say, even when no one is watching.