We're All Humans, Aren't We?

Ambassadors of Christ

The story goes a bit something like this…

A man was being tailgated by a stressed-out woman on a busy boulevard. Suddenly, the light turned yellow, just in front of him.

He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection.

The tailgating woman was furious and honked her horn, screaming in frustration as she missed her chance to get through the intersection, dropping her cell phone and makeup.

As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer.

The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands up. He took her to the police station where she was searched, finger printed, photographed and placed in a holding cell.

After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door. She was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects.

He said, “I’m very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed the ‘Choose Life’ license plate holder, the ‘What Would Jesus Do’ bumper sticker, the ‘Follow Me to Sunday School’ bumper sticker, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk.

“Naturally. I assumed you had stolen the car.”

An amusing story, but with a great point underneath. I don’t think I need to belabor the point at all, but I do think we Christians need the occasional reminder that we are the most visible, tangible, Earthly representation of Jesus Christ and His message. As soon as we confess Christ is the Lord, we have not only become His children but His ambassadors as well. Through us the world gets to know who Christ is. And unfortunately, if a peace-thirsting man named Mohandas Gandhi said, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ,” we need to think a bit harder about how we’re portraying Christ to the rest of the world.

– Matt