The Decal

Have you seen those decals for car windows that say “In Loving Memory of…?” I have often wondered about the identity of the deceased being memorialized and their relationship to the car’s driver. Does the sticker represent a broken heart? Crushed dreams? Precious memories? Was the death sudden? Was it a lengthy good-bye?

The other day I saw a vehicle with all the windows except the windshield covered by those memorial stickers. The back window had six or seven different names memorialized. Even the side windows had stickers.

Seeing out the side and rear window is pretty important to being able to properly operate your motor vehicle. After seeing the driver almost crash into a vehicle beside him, I realized he couldn’t see where he was going for all the people in his past.

Now I’m not trying to be critical of the driver’s attempts to pay his respects to those who have passed away. I have no idea what kind of pain that guy may be enduring. But I have to tell you, it was a striking parable.

How many people can’t see where they are going in life because they are blinded by people in their past?

A mother or father who neglected, abandoned, or abused them.

A brother or sister who made their life miserable.

A confidant who opened the vault and poured out their secrets.

An ex from a relationship that would be better forgotten.

A friend who betrayed them, stabbing them in the back.

A toxic church that fostered hate and distrust rather than love.

Everyone has a past with good and bad components. The key is what we do with it. Do we allow a negative experience in the past control our future or do we focus on the hopeful new beginning God offers through Jesus?

“No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.”

(Philippians 3:13-14 NLT )

-- Bob Clark

12/14/04