Jesus Freak

Today I stopped at the post office on my way to work and on the way back to the main road, stuck at a stoplight, the car in front of me yelled: "I'm a Jesus freak!"

It was a beat-up Oldsmobile with a rusted bumper, a crooked keyhole cover on the trunk and a cracked windshield.

Two giant stickers clung to the rear window.

One was basic: "I love Jesus."

The other, completely over the top: "I am covered in Jesus' blood."

I do not understand stickers like this.

Sure, I have a sticker on the back of my vehicle that says simply "26.2." Most people probably do not know what this means. The people who do know -- they are part of my pretend secret club.

But everyone -- anywhere -- knows what "I love Jesus" means. And I'm all for free expression and free religion and free thought and peace and love and opinions and all of these things that can be ugly or beautiful but at their core are really just what humans are: an ugly beautiful ball of feeling and emotion and anger and embarrassment and all sorts of other things.

I suppose slapping stickers on a car must make some feel their religion is that much stronger. Is that why they do it? Or do they just really want everyone to know how much they love God?

I don't know ... isn't religion supposed to be more beautiful than worn, weathered stickers on a beat-up rusted Oldsmobile?

The author Anne Lamott tells us to live life with grace. However we can.

And I suppose if this person feels the bumper stickers make this life that much easier to get through -- to believe in -- then all the more power to him.

Still, it seems strange.