Today I saw a SUV with a curious combination of signs on it. Just two signs, to be exact -- though the driver may not have intended them to be such.The first was one of the things I consider a true mark of really bad Indiana driver. Whenever I see this particular sign, I am almost assured that person will cut me off at some time, change lanes without signaling, run a red light, sit out in the speed lane going (gasp!!) the speed limit, or some other such bad road behavior. All done, of course, with the intention of annoying me.
So when the big green SUV came roaring up behind me this morning (yes, I was in the speed lane -- but in my defense, I was speeding!) and sat right on my bumper until I could find a gap in traffic to move safely over, I said to myself, "Self, I'll bet that fellow has 'the badge' of a bad Indiana driver on the back of his car." As he zoomed around me, only to slow down and pull right in front of me and then dive farther right for the upcoming exit, I saw the sign.
What is it? The "In God We Trust" license plate. I figure those drivers must trust in God because they drive sooo poorly that only God could keep them safe.
But what really struck me was the other sign. It was a smallish decal (smaller than the red, white and blue "In God We Trust" plate) of a fairy. A female fairy. An adult female fairy. A naked adult female fairy -- suggestively posed. I'll end the description there.
I was taken aback by the blatantly soft-porn eroticism of the decal perched above the "In God We Trust" license. It has often been said that we Americans lack a sense of irony -- and this was a living example right out on Interstate 70.
But as I began to shake my head and cluck and feel all very prideful about how I didn't have any stupid or incongruent signs on my vehicle (I have an "Environmental" license on my hybrid car), I began wondering about the ironies that others spot in my life.
I didn't let it get too far because, well, it made me uncomfortable and I was afraid if I started naming them, then I'd spend the whole morning on it. Yikes.
So, I turned on the radio and thought about happy things. Except, I still keep coming back to hoping I can learn to see the goodness of the Lord in both the congruenties of those who claim faith and their incongrueties -- as I hope they see that goodness through my life.
-- Brent
3 comments:
One could do worse than to trust God to help one's driving !
I’ve seen such combinations myself, and have engaged in my own speculations.
It may be that the choice of license plate was made by one spouse, and the selection of the decal by the other. The former would, I’m guessing, be a churchgoer, but not a serious follower of the Christ of the Gospels — more the type who goes to church for the sake of respectability. The latter would be irreligious, but romantically disposed toward fairies, female beauty, and/or eroticism.
I have the Human Rights Campaign equal sign sticker on my car. When I first put it on my son asked "equals what?" which made me realize that it was more of a preaching to the choir symbol of solidarity for my GLBT brothers and sisters than a way to influence those awful homophobic, closeminded, right wing....oops. No no. I am not like that. Really. But, perhaps someone not of the same mind as me will see the equal sign and think "equals what?" and that might lead them to think about what might not be equal. ??
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