It seems like everyone who claims to be a Christian these days has the fish on the back of their car. Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking it, (in fact I have one myself) I actually think it's a great idea.
The fish originiated through two major phases. The first step was that the way Jesus was referred to in the Greek alphabet was very similar to the spelling of fish (IXOYE- to symbolize Jesus being a fisher of men). From this, during the time of Roman persecution of the Christians, Christ followers, when talking to someone would draw one half of the fish in the sand, and if the person they were talking to was of the faith, they would finish it by drawing with their foot.
It is a different symbol today, but it is cool to look at the history-- a sign that was once a hidden message to other Christians is now a widely known sign to the entire world that we are children of God. It's a cool progression if you ask me. Anyways, this kind of got me thinking-- though this can be a good thing, it can be a sign of hypocrisy as well, because of the things we may do while we drive that, sometimes, can make some of us take it off of their cars completely.
But what if you couldnt? What if we as Christians were made to carry around a sign of our faith? But not only a sign-- what if the sign grew and shrank with the progression of our walks of faith? This puts a completely different twist on the idea. I would venture to say that many of us would grow. It's a sad thought, but we as humans are creatures that care about our appearance. Even as Christians, just like Adam, I believe we would recognize and adjust when we are "spiritually naked." I truly believe that if we didn't try so hard to cover up our sins and pretend that they didn't exist-- or better yet, if we couldn't cover it up no matter how hard we tried-- there would be many stronger disciples for Christ in this world.
I would never wish for this though. Not because I myself am afraid of it, because honestly my sign shrank over the past week or so, but because then we lose the true meaning of the faith-- the relationship.
This sign is missing one key concept: our purpose. You see, God doesn't want us trying to grow to merely compete against the signs and accomplishments of others, but rather to recognize our own humility and short comings, and there in try to grow. God wants us to change because we WANT to. He desires for us to seek holiness by coming to know Him on a more intimate level, not how we relate to the success of the world.
So today, what would your sign look like? Would it be a small, diseased fish that seems to be suffocating you, or a majestic one, glowing with the radiance of our Savior and covering over all of your sins? But remember, no matter how many good deeds you may complete, no fish can grow bigger than in relation to its environment, and in our case, in relation to our relationship with God. DESIRE holiness, PURSUE righteousness, and LIVE for His glory alone, and I can guarantee you that your sign will be one that the world sees shining brightly, reflecting our heavenly Savior and not something earthly at all.
****1 Peter 4:14****
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