Jesus Fish, Driving, & Hypocritical Witnessing

When traveling through life there are things we like to assume. I, for one, assume when I see a Jesus fish that I am dealing with a Christian. I assume this Christian is ethical and, well, Christian in behavior. When they step out of line I have a tendency to assume that they are one of those Christian who holds no standard for the word Christian. Their witness appears weak.
Like I said above, this is how my initial assumptions go. I am not proud of it, it is just the way it is. When somebody with a Jesus bumper sticker on the back of their car cuts me off and gives me the finger they have lost their witness with me. I don’t get angry back, I am exceptionally good with traffic grace, but their witness is effected none-the-less.
I think sometimes people forget that they put Christian themed stickies on the backs of their cars. I have seen a lot of Christian drivers act less than Christian if ya know what I mean. I am reminded of the song “Honk If You Love Jesus”. Sad but funny when you think about it.

To make my point let me tell you a semi-long short story.
About a year or so ago I, along with many other work at home moms, was asked if I would like a to supply a baby product for review on a very popular stay at home mom’s Christian blog. I sent her 2 items which she approved of first and waited to see the review. 5 months later I received an email from her saying that she was swamped and wouldn’t be doing anymore product reviews. She didn’t offer to send the items back but she did offer me two advertising spots in her newsletter. This isn’t something that I would have normally paid for but the items I sent her weren’t all that expensive so I agreed.
I saw one of those advertisements in the next newsletter. I never saw the second.

I didn’t complain about this, however, because she had asked me to do a large design job for her. Actually, it was 4 design jobs and I was happy to have her business. To make a long story a little less long I worked many hours to put together designs that she approved of. I made changes, perfected colors, and found special fonts. After hours of work and almost finished designs she ceased contact with me. That was many months ago. I have emailed a few times with no response.
I lost out on my products that she promised to review and I worked long hours on designs for her for nothing. Because I cyber-knew her to be an upstanding, ethical Christian I never required a deposit or anything. I was absolutely, 100% sure of her honesty and integrity.
I am not without compassion and I do understand that there could have been a number of reasons why she decided not to continue with the project. It is her lack of response, however, that troubles me. I know she is healthy and well because she has blogs that she regularly keeps up with. This makes me wonder about her reason for breaking our agreement.

I think what bothers me most about this whole thing is that I had this vision of her as an upstanding Christian lady. Through her blog I had come to believe her as wise beyond her years. The advice she gave on the different aspects of running a home were invaluable.
I don’t want to judge. I don’t like feeling like this gal is necessarily a fake. I don’t imagine she purposely set out to take me. Either way, as the facts lie she has dropped the ‘Christian ball’ and in my eyes her witness has suffered.

We all do this, don’t we? We wear Christian shirts, listen to Christian music and wear crosses around our necks. How quickly we seem to forget that when we put ourselves out there as Christians we must maintain that walk at all times. Others are watching and when we step off our path they see us. Non-Christians are assuming we are all hypocrites. And when we act contrary to what we preach, even in the smallest degree, that is exactly what we become. A hypocrite.

I have done it on this blog. I have gotten my hackles up and turned nasty without remembering that I stand for something more than just my petty feelings. My witness has been effected.

I have had numerous acquaintances who spout Christianity but then make statements or do deeds that clearly cut into that faith. Their witness has been ruined.

The story above taught me a lesson. Not so much to trust others less, but the pay more attention to my own behavior. I might be a bit behind, life may get in the way sometimes, but I have seen how it looks when a Christian completely shirks their duties. I can’t let that be me. I need my witness to remain strong and true.

The moral of this blog entry -
If you put that little Jesus fish on the back of your car you’d better learn how to drive nice.

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