I’ll not bore you with the details, but for various reasons, we’re down a vehicle in the Russell fleet while waiting for some auto insurance people to make some things happen so a replacement vehicle can be secured. That means that for a brief season I’m using alternative modes of transportation.
Earlier this week I needed to make a visit and see a sweet lady in the hospital. Mandy needed her vehicle because of some training for school. I loaded myself into one of the church vans and headed to Pensacola.
I’ve noticed this phenomenon before, and I was reminded of it again as I traveled down I-10. I drive differently when I drive a church-owned vehicle. Don’t misunderstand. I consider myself a safe and courtesy driver. Sure, my foot gets a bit heavy at times (okay, most of the time), but overall, I follow the rules when it comes to driving.
(I admit that I can be a bit Pharisaical on this topic, as you’re about to read.) I use my turn signal, which 93.6% of people in the Panhandle refuse to do. I follow the proper protocol at a four-way-stop, which begins with STOPPING at said stop, then waiting your turn. (Yeah, I’m talking about you, Berryhill Road driver.) At a stop light, I even pull my car all the way to that white line but am careful not to stop on it or beyond it, all in the name of pedestrian safety and so my fellow drivers can see.
Most notably, when I’m driving in an area with a designated walking zone for pedestrians (those white lines mostly in retail parking lots and crosswalks), I actually obey the law and stop, allowing pedestrians to cross without them having to fear being run over. As a sidebar, if I’m the one walking in that safe zone and you’re in a car that doesn’t slow down or give the appearance of stopping, I will simply stop in my safe zone, turn, and look at you. You can honk or share a hand gesture if you want. Think you’ll scare me? Go ahead and bump me with your bumper, bud. I pass a ton of lawyer billboards on my journeys across our state.
I’m not even going to get started on my opine about how drivers handle turning into the other lane of traffic on the divided highway known as Caroline Street / Highway 90, other than to say 99% of them do it incorrectly and obstruct the view, which is why you see so many car pieces and fragments from wrecks at those turn lanes. (I did warn you that I could be Pharisaical about this topic.)
Back to my point. Even though I try to make a habit of driving safely, I’ve discovered that I kick it up a notch anytime I drive a church-owned vehicle. I make sure I use the blinker just a little bit longer when making a lane change. I give myself just a little extra time to apply the brakes. I pay more attention to the placement of my hands on the steering wheel. I use every mirror available to me, and glance at them more than I might normally do.
There’s a reason I’m a bit more meticulous and careful when driving that church-owned vehicle. It has the name and location of the church printed in big letters on both sides of the vehicle, as well as on the back. Wherever that vehicle goes, other people know the person driving it has some kind of relationship with First Baptist Church in Milton, Florida. The driver of the van represents the owner of the van.
If I act a fool in my personal vehicle, someone isn’t going to know what a fool I am, lest they run my plates. But when I drive a vehicle with my church’s name on it, people are going to connect my church to the behavior of my driving. I’m representing the owner of the vehicle, so I’m a bit more thoughtful in how I present myself and conduct my business.
Let’s drive away from the vehicle example and the roads of the Florida Panhandle. Let’s think about your life. You may be the driver of the vehicle known as your life, but someone else is the owner. As followers of Jesus, we’re no longer our own (see Paul in 1 Corinthians 6). We belong to Christ, and as such, we represent him.
Most of you don’t walk around town with “I’m a Christian” tattooed on your forehead. You don’t ask our friends at Signcrafters to vinyl our clothing to indicate the Lord to whom we belong. But people know. If your faith is of any value to you at all, people around you know who you claim to follow in your faith journey. At the very least, they probably know where you go to church, which is an indication that you have some level of spirituality about you.
For practical purposes, let’s be challenged to live as if we’re constantly wearing a sign that says we belong to Jesus. Or pretend that the words, “I follow Jesus” are plastered all over your car. (That’ll change your disposition at a red light.) The fact of the matter is this: whether we sport any signage or not, we represent Jesus wherever we go.
Paul says we bear the title “ambassador for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us” (2 Cor. 5:20). Every person who follows Jesus is a minister of reconciliation because we’ve been given the message of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18-19). Our interactions with others, the words we speak, the posts we share, the disposition we display while driving. It all reflects who we believe Jesus to be, and it displays the work we’re allowing Jesus to do in us.
Jesus is simple and straightforward in Matthew 5:14-16. “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
Go shine your light in your words and actions. (But for the sake of all that is holy, please dim your car lights when approaching a vehicle at night.)
PS: There’s a reason I’ve never gotten behind, nor will I ever get behind, any initiative to produce automobile decals, license plate frames, etc., that say something like, “Follow me to FBC,” or “As for me and my house, we attend FBC.” I’ve seen how some people drive. We don’t want that kind of advertising. *grin*
The View From My Pew 