For Wilshire Baptist Church
“Caution: Church Bus”
That’s what I saw painted in black letters on the back of a white van traveling north on the interstate on Friday evening. I was so intrigued by it – and specifically that word “caution” – that I lay my cell phone across the top of the steering wheel and took a picture. LeAnn might have stopped me but she was snoozing in the passenger seat after an emotionally charged week and a full-day meeting in Waco.
My initial thought was the message was like those bright yellow “Baby on Board” signs you see in car windows, which I find off-putting. It’s like the owner of the vehicle is saying, “My cargo is more valuable than anything or anyone else.” It’s fine if they think that way; I think parents should be all-in with their children. What bothers me is the insinuation that the rest of us are so careless as to need a sign that tells us, “Please be careful now while you are near me, and then you can go back to your regular carelessness after we part.”
It’s akin to the highway signs that state, “Caution, damaged guardrail ahead.” It’s as if someone at the highway department is saying, “This is not a good place to swerve off the road and crash because our protective barrier is currently out of commission. If you need to swerve and crash, please do so at the next guardrail.”
Do we really need to be told when to be careful? Isn’t careful the default setting in our factory-installed emotional/intellectual software? Sadly, no. I believe there are careless drivers and careful drivers, and unfortunately a window sign or words painted on the back of a van are not going to change anyone’s habits. Much like recent signs that want to tell us which lives matter the most, if you have to process that information and make a decision, then you need some help.
So what else could “Caution: Church Bus” mean? I’ve been thinking about that, and all I can come up with are poor stereotypes of church people. Which frankly is a good reason not to have such a sign on a church bus. For example, the sign might mean:
- They pull off the road suddenly when they spot a Cracker Barrel.
- Their van is like the ark of the covenant in the movie “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Your face will melt if you open the doors without proper authority.
- They have a pit bull inside protecting their sound equipment if you should want to break in while they’re stopped at the Cracker Barrel.
- They believe they’re going to be raptured up at any moment and leave the van driverless.
- They may start weaving and bouncing if they break into good ol’ gospel songs.
- The driver is not a professional but is old Harry who was volunteered when he missed the planning meeting for the church outing.
- They drive with reckless abandon because they’re saved and don’t care what happens?
- They get as lost as the Israelites in the desert and are prone to make sudden stops to consult their maps.
- Or, it’s just a warning that the people in the van are holy rollers and some of that may rub off on you if you get too close.
I think I’ve spent enough time on this topic. I’ve not come to any important conclusions or shared any wisdom that you can’t live without. Maybe the most I should make of the sign is that it reminds me that everyone we encounter on the highway – literally or figuratively – is worthy of our attention, courtesy and carefulness.
The van sign said church but it might as well have said school or family or friends or colleagues – or nothing at all. Regardless, when I pass them, I shouldn’t do so with reckless abandon. Their destination in life, whatever it may be, is as important to them as mine is to me.