Lessons from Cars 11

Lesson 11: Paint

Over the years I’ve learned a few things about paint. The first lesson was that looks can be deceiving. My dad’s old ’54 truck was originally blue but there was someone else in town with the same kind of truck that was the same color. The other driver was on the seedier side of the law and unfortunately my dad’s truck was sometimes mistaken for the other one and we often had the police on our tail—occasionally following us right to our door. When my parents stepped out of the truck, the police were all apologetic. My dad got fed up with these reoccurrences so one day he handed me a paint brush and the two of us set to work painting his truck black. It was not the fanciest paint job but it solved the problem. The truck remained black for the remainder of its years and painting it became an annual spring ritual for us.

As Christians we need to live distinctive lives. It’s important that people are able to identify us for who and what we are. It’s not good enough for us to simply blend in and be like everyone else. And it’s far worse if we are considered not to be Christians at all. The only way that people around us can know us is by our words and actions—“they’ll know we are Christians by our love.” As a child in Sunday school I was taught “don’t be afraid to let your colours show.” This was not about uniform-wearing but about lifestyle and faith. Stand up for Jesus. Stand out in the crowd.

1 Peter 2:9 (NKJV)

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;