I was driving home the other evening amid a lot of traffic. It was raining hard. Some cars were going slowly, others were whizzing along, changing lanes, trying to gain a little in the stop and go conditions. I spotted a stenciled sign on the car just ahead of me in the next lane. It read, “Practice Kindness.” It gave me pause.
I wondered if knowing that sign was on the back of the car kept them from doing anything stupid, like cutting someone off while changing lanes. I thought about my car and wondered what signs it displayed. (Thankfully nothing that might humiliate me in traffic!)
Then I really paused. I thought about my life and what signs are displayed openly for all to see. I readily confess I am a Christian, a follower of Christ. I declare that I am a minister, that I pastor a church in Middleton, Idaho. Are my actions consistent with those “signs?”
I can answer that “yes, they are – most of the time.” But I must acknowledge that while I am saved by grace, I am not yet completely conformed to the image of my Savior Jesus Christ. I’m getting there, but I still have a way to go. I make mistakes. I speak before I think things through. I still get angry. I still lose my patience. I still focus too much on my desires and needs and not enough on others. Yes, I’m not quite there yet.
So, as I move through this life, amid others on the same road, I will try to remember my “signs.” And I will try to not dishonor the God to whom they point …
1 Corinthians 6:20: “You were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” [NIV]
