Bumper Stickers

In the hustle of rush hour one morning, I found myself approaching road rage once again. I was cured about three years ago, but occasionally it flares up. As I was getting over in the left lane, a car speeds up so I could not change lanes. I was still frustrated at this point, but there was a message that awaited me. The bumper sticker said, "JESUS LOVES YOU". Then there were two more stickers. One said "IN GOD WE TRUST" and the other was a fish symbol. Then the car sped off and changed lanes again. The driver rolled down her window and threw up her middle finger. It had been a minute since I had seen someone flip "the finger".

My mind wondered what kind of day was she having really? Was she late for work or was she frustrated with the amount of traffic this day? Was it something that her husband or children did that brought her anger or anxiety that morning? We all have good intentions to arise and get ready for work and fix breakfast and everything else. We may even have intentions on a prayer and the busy-ness of our lives enter in. We lose all sense of the plan to replenish what had been burned off through our body composition. When we don't feed ourselves with the proper diet, we are malnourishing our relationship with God. No, God doesn't need our food, but by reading scripture, praying and studying the Word, our relationship grows. Our connectedness with the Lord is more powerful than the day before. So maybe she needs her recommended daily allowance of B-I-B-L-E.

Did her bumper sticker match her actions behind the wheel? She just flipped someone off. My CSI mind was trying to recreate the scene of the crime. She adorned messages of Jesus' love and God's trust on her bumper sticker, but that Christian woman had just about lost it. Lost the message of Christ's love for us and she had lost God's trust and mine. And whoever else that had made the connection. But what was she hiding as she drove away? Was it a dent or scar underneath the bumper sticker? We as human beings are excellent at hiding the visible or accessorizing our pain with a smile, makeup or hair. In her attempt to express her Christian beliefs through witnessing, she did more damage than good. How could she be a witness to save souls if her actions make people stay clear of her? The mask we wear... Just ensure your walk as a Christian equals your talk as a Christian.

And did she really mean all those things she said? When she extended her finger outside of the car, was she checking the weather? Could she have really been who she wanted everyone to think that she was? I vaguely remember what she looks like now but I do know one thing.

I will never forget the lady that misrepresented being a Christian by false witness, hiding her true identity and pointing out negative thoughts in the minds of those around us. That is all for now...what does your bumper sticker say about you?