While I usually laugh out loud when I see them, I am always annoyed by the “I Buy Local” bumper stickers when they are on foreign cars. I have trouble enjoying anything that is tie-dyed. And pretty much anything political makes it difficult for me to drive like a Christian. However, my least favorite bumper sticker of all time is…(drum roll)…”Jesus is my Co-Pilot.”
I think the author of this phrase meant well. I assume that the original intention here is to say that the driver never goes anywhere without Jesus, or that Jesus is the navigator that guides the vessel. However, it clearly states that Jesus is second in command. If He is the co-pilot, then I am the pilot and I ultimately make all of the decisions.
You may want to argue that this is an argument based on semantics and that I am being picky by bringing it up. Yet, this co-pilot attitude has become the norm amongst Christians in our country. It’s like we are willing to consult God before making decisions, and we may even yield to His guidance every now and then. But ultimately, we dictate what is best for our journey because we believe that we know better than God what is best for us.
If you have read any large section of the Bible, specifically the New Testament, it is clear that our futures and even our lives should not matter to us. If we are following God completely, we will only do the things that are in line with His will, and we will follow the leading of the Holy Spirit regardless of what makes sense to us.
That is hard. In fact, that type of perfect obedience is impossible. We are obviously sinful creatures and Jesus of Nazareth is the only one that has pitched a perfect game of obedience. However, that does not mean that we shouldn’t shoot for perfection. That also doesn’t mean that we need to circumvent the system and step in to save ourselves from…ourselves.
We need to get out of the way and let God be God. We need to follow Him as much as we are able and make all of our decisions based on our understanding of His will. Will we still mess up every now and then? Absolutely. But handing the wheel over to Jesus is the only way that we will survive this journey called existence.
That’s why, if you feel you must have one, I prefer this version of the “Jesus is my Co-Pilot” bumper sticker.