Share the Road
I see them everywhere…bumper stickers with a picture of a motorcycle and the reminder to “Share the Road.” Just because a vehicle has two wheels instead of four, looks a little different, is perhaps smaller than our own, doesn’t mean we, in our four-door sedans, SUVs or minivans, have a greater right to the roadway.
I saw one of those bumper stickers on the way to church the other night, and realized how much that phrase serves as a reminder to members of the faith community. Share the road. There is a vast array of faith expressions in Southern Utah these days. There are little two-wheeler churches just trying to get down the road safely. There are big SUV churches with well-financed programs and facilities. There are the minivan churches – family friendly and safe as they can be. There are hot-rod churches with flames painted up the side, and hard-scrabble, hard-working churches like my grandpa’s old Chevy truck.
Each person, joined with others of like faith, is traveling in a similar direction. Whether we agree with each other’s basic tenets, or with each other’s preferred means of faith expression, our ultimate goal is to enter relationship with our Creator. That’s the common road that we, as people of faith, travel. Yet we each tend to believe our chosen means of transportation is the only correct, proper one. Thus, the road belongs only to us and those who travel in similar fashion.
But Christians are called to follow the example of Christ, who walked with sinners, ate with Pharisees, talked with prostitutes. His road was not exclusive and there were no qualifiers, no special vehicle required, to walk with Him and learn from Him.
As we share the road, walking together, we learn from each other, allow our faith to inform that of others, and allow others to inform ours. We help others struggling under a heavy load, and get a little help when our own becomes too great. We learn compassion and build community. All we have to do is remember to Share the Road.
I saw one of those bumper stickers on the way to church the other night, and realized how much that phrase serves as a reminder to members of the faith community. Share the road. There is a vast array of faith expressions in Southern Utah these days. There are little two-wheeler churches just trying to get down the road safely. There are big SUV churches with well-financed programs and facilities. There are the minivan churches – family friendly and safe as they can be. There are hot-rod churches with flames painted up the side, and hard-scrabble, hard-working churches like my grandpa’s old Chevy truck.
Each person, joined with others of like faith, is traveling in a similar direction. Whether we agree with each other’s basic tenets, or with each other’s preferred means of faith expression, our ultimate goal is to enter relationship with our Creator. That’s the common road that we, as people of faith, travel. Yet we each tend to believe our chosen means of transportation is the only correct, proper one. Thus, the road belongs only to us and those who travel in similar fashion.
But Christians are called to follow the example of Christ, who walked with sinners, ate with Pharisees, talked with prostitutes. His road was not exclusive and there were no qualifiers, no special vehicle required, to walk with Him and learn from Him.
As we share the road, walking together, we learn from each other, allow our faith to inform that of others, and allow others to inform ours. We help others struggling under a heavy load, and get a little help when our own becomes too great. We learn compassion and build community. All we have to do is remember to Share the Road.
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