Turtles and Quick Messages
By Lexi Cole
“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
Psalm 19:14
Caution: this car frequently stop for turtles…I brake for turtles…I love turtles. I have no idea who was driving in front of me, but I have inferred from the three bumper stickers on their car that they really like turtles. Don’t get me wrong. I like turtles. I have nothing against them. I even wanted one in fifth grade. However, I personally have never felt a strong desire to put a bumper sticker about turtles on my car. I wasn’t particularly aware of the need to stop for turtles while driving. While I like turtles a lot, it’s not a message that I would put as a bumper sticker on the back of my car.
Bumper stickers really are interesting. In a few words, they convey a message to people you may never see again. With a quick drive-by…a barely-there interaction…I am given information about a car’s owner based on the words or picture on that bumper sticker. Though I don’t know the person, I am given rather interesting insight based on a bumper sticker.
I wonder what my “bumper stickers” – or quick messages – say in different areas of my life. In quick, short exchanges, what messages do I send to another person in the grocery checkout line, to a waiter or waitress, to a new acquaintance? Is the transforming love of Christ beaming through every word and behavior, or am I too busy to show love in these short interactions? When the line is long at the grocery store, do I still choose to speak loving kindness to the cashier? When the order is wrong at the restaurant, what words come out of my mouth?
While I hold nothing against stopping for turtles, I’m glad the Lord used these interesting bumper stickers to remind me of the quick messages I convey to others as I journey through life. Though it’s easy to get caught up in myself and stressed with the busy-ness of life, it is essential to evaluate what quick messages I’m sending and make sure they are Christ-centered and loving.
GOING DEEPER:
1. What quick messages are you conveying to those who don’t know you well?
2. What can you do to make sure those messages are ones that reflect Christ’s goodness and likeness?
FURTHER READING:
Psalm 139:1-6; 1 Thessalonians 3:12
Lexi is an Elementary Education major at Bethel University. She is currently the Interim Children’s Ministries Director at Oakwood Church.
