Over the last few weeks my son and I have been Pimping our ride! It’s an aging Ford Laser with a small engine but it’s in pretty good condition for its age. The new lowered suspension and large alloy wheels with licorice straps for tires have made the humble car look a little less humble. We’re just waiting for the new exhaust system to complete the “man racer” image.
Oh, but wait, there’s more. Bling. Bling on the inside! You know, chrome gear knobs and stuff. There’s hope for a stereo system, but the teenager is now dreaming and I’ve drawn the line at neon’s under the car. At the end of the day it’s just a Ford Laser. And yes, it does have a warrant and registration.
The sensible among you may well ask, “Why?” I have asked myself this, and so has my wife and six year old daughter. Others just mock me when I tell them it’s a father and son project because they have a deep suspicion it’s about me reliving my youth. They’re quite right!
Every morning (except my day off), I get up, go to the bathroom, shave, shower, comb my hair, put smelly stuff on, get dressed (occasionally redressed after a family evaluation) and then head out into the world. Why? So I’m fit to be seen by people who don’t love me for who I truly am. I create an effect that tells people something about me or what my family want people to know about me. We all do it.
Lawyers, for the most part, look the same. Mechanics are equally compliant in the fashion department and children are masters at it. Behavioural scientists have a long name for it which escapes me at present. So what we’ve done to the car is no different from what I and most other people do each morning to ourselves. Just look to the plethora of television programmes devoted to making fashion terrorists look good.
Like my car, we can make ourselves look impressive on the outside and we can even tinker with the interior. However, unlike cars, people shine on the outside because of what’s going on inside. The old adage “clothes make the man” simply isn’t true. Clothes are often an illusion to direct attention away from our reality.
Looking good on the outside rarely removes the ghosts of our past or the voices of faulty self-perception. If all we ever had to do was walk down a street and never relate to anyone, then impressions would mean everything - but we don’t.
Jesus said, “We must love our neighbour as ourselves.” To love others we have to first love “me.” This isn’t narcissism; it’s a genuine connection with the knowledge that we are created in the image of God. We are deeply loved by God and are equally capable of the same love for others despite appearances.
If you want a new life, overhaul the interior. Connect with the human designer who will give you the best makeover you can imagine - God in Christ.
Rev’d Digby Wilkinson