They say you can judge a lot from first impressions. They also say never to judge a book by it’s cover. Kind of contradicts, no? A slogan on a shirt, a bumper sticker, or a personalized license plate can tell much about a person. We’ve all heard the story of the driver with a Jesus fish on his car cutting someone off in traffic while screaming some inaudible words.
Recently, I was behind a car at a stoplight with the license plate that read, “PHL 4:5”. I wasn’t behind her long enough to judge how accurately the plate described the driver. Although that’s a pretty bold declaration to make if you have a shoddy driving record. Another I saw some time ago that I quite liked (at the same intersection, believe it or not) read, “HV F8TH”.
This morning while slowly rolling down the 405, I saw another telling personalized plate. This one read, “DRK BEER”. I hope this person wasn’t drinking and driving, though it was 5 in the morning. My own plate is simply the numbers assigned to me. Personally, I’d rather my action speak to my character rather than advertise to another car passing by at 60 miles per hour.
I’ve never been much for slogans. I don’t own anything with WWJD on it, and there’s not a Jesus fish on my car. I try very hard to not allow myself to be defined by things. I want my life to scream that I am a disciple of Jesus.
So what message do we send with our image, our language, or our behavior?
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” (Galatians 3:23)