The hypocrisy of your car decor

I am not a fan of tailgaters. I’m not talking about the gung-ho football goers who make the parking lot smell of barbecue and fattening goodness, no I like those kind of tailgaters. The kind I am talking about are those people who feel they must drive so close to the back of your car that you spend the rest of the time they are behind you, looking in your rearview mirror. It’s almost like we think watching them in our mirrors will miraculously make them stop following so closely or somehow keep us from being rear-ended.

Unfortunately, I had a tailgater following me as I was making the drive to Salem to move back to school. I was in a particularly peaceful state of mind: listening to newly purchased music from itunes, had the breeze blowing in my hair, and was ecstatic to be headed back down south. However, this peaceful state of mind came to a screeching halt as my attention turned to concern for the rear end of my vehicle which contained my meticulously packed belongings.

This crazy lady followed me all the way to the freeway. Once we were on the freeway, I stayed in the right lane hoping she would zoom by me in the fast lane, relieving me of unneeded anxiety. She did exactly as I thought: cut over into the left lane, sped by me, and then jumped right back in front of me. What I saw on the back of her car made me laugh. She had a bumper sticker that read “WAGE PEACE.” Oh, really?

What good is it if we say things, claim to believe things, or even permanently attach bumper stickers to the backs of our cars if we don’t live them out? It is easy to say words. In fact, we often use too many words and don’t mean what we say.

We accept Christ into our hearts by proclaiming He is Lord, that we are sinners, and that we need His salvation. This is a huge claim we make. We say He is Lord, but do we mean it? Or do we mean it like that lady with the “WAGE PEACE” bumper sticker meant her claim to peace? Do we say one thing and live out another?

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess” (Hebrews 10:23). So what does it mean to “hold unswerving?” I think the answer is found in Luke 14:27, “And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” Our claim to know Him as our Savior needs to be a daily choice to carry our cross. It is not a one-time application of a tacky bumper sticker. I’m not saying your can’t proclaim your faith on the rear of your motor vehicle, but I would advise you live out that proclamation or face being laughed at by fellow drivers who see the hypocrisy of your car décor.

But beyond our Christian bumper stickers and various other paraphernalia, we are automatically labeled as “Christian,” “Jesus freak,” “youth-group-groupie,” “Bible girl,” or however else the society around us perceives us. Regardless of their word choice, they are aware of our beliefs and we have the choice of living them out, or letting them be only words. You can’t wage peace by driving like a maniac, and you can’t claim Jesus as Lord by living a life of sin.