My sons think I may have grown up in a black and white world. Based on the
fact I prefer older movies, older TV shows from the fifties, and music from the
50-60’s, it is obvious to them I grew up in a colorless world. But nothing
could be farther from the truth, as a recent color chart from the 1957
Chevrolets sets that record straight. I grew up in a pastel world of greens,
blues, and yellows, of coral and turquoise, and of two tone cars. A far cry
today of black, white, various silvers, and beiges. Try to find a blue car
today, red seems to be making a comeback, but most are various shades of gray.
BORING! Stop and compare that to the MOPAR offerings from the late
sixties/early seventies of Lemon Twist, Vitamin C, Sublime, Pink Panther, and
Plum Crazy, you can reflect how black was for hearses, and silver was for state
patrol cruisers. But a new generation is waking up to color, a far cry from my
Harley riding buddy who claims there are only two colors, and both of them are
black.
The color of our cars maybe tell more about us than we want. We all want
to be individual, and today the non-conformists are getting harder and harder to
tell apart. When working for Mercedes Benz, one morning a customer came in and
told me his complaint about his car, “it’s the silver one in the drive,” and
when we went out, over 20 cars there were silver. And he had trouble finding
which one was his....if only he knew the reason silver is so popular among
Mercedes Benz, do you? Well....back in the thirties, to lighten their race car,
they removed all the paint, saving a lot of weight, the aluminum skin being
silver, it had nothing to do with color, everything to do with removing excess
weight. Do not try this at home. And today our friends at Daimler Benz even
have varying shades of, you guessed it, silver. I guess not every car looks
good in Mars Red.
Remember how exciting candy apple red cars were? The silver frost paint on
the 1974 BMW R90S? A Ferarri may be available in white, yellow, or black, but
red is the only color for purists, and for value when they trade. British
sports cars should be British Racing Green, old phone company trucks were green,
UPS is brown, and the Oakland Raiders are black and silver. Can’t imagine them
in any other color can you, maybe black and blue. But certain colors have
always been associate with certain items, still give me color over black and
white every day. And as I look out of my window, all the cars in sight are
white or silver, with the exception of an old Volvo in a faded red. Maybe I
spoke too soon...and I reflect on the car colors of my past, two red Mustangs, a
turf BMW, their BRG, two yellow Rabbits, a pearl white T-Bird, and only one
black car, a Probe. Looked good in black, but I found out why everyone only
ever owns one black car in their lifetime, everything shows, from dirt to
scratches, and the shine is never the same after it drives off the dealer’s
lot. I like color, and own a yellow Ranger, and a Race Red Mustang. Color it
is....did I mention I am color blind? And cannot tell which colors I am looking
at?
Each year car manufacturers try to come up with what colors the public will
want to buy, and which colors look good on each model. Mars red may look great
on an SL550, but horrible on an S550, a luxury fire truck? Yellow looks good on
convertibles and taxis, but not on Dad’s sedan. Dark blue is depressing, light
blue happy, and various blacks, silvers, and whites, are somber. Where are the
Go Mango colors of my youth, the salmon pinks and corals, and the pastels? Does
even Jaguar make a British Racing Green car anymore? Is it possible the car
companies are setting the mood for us? By the way, Henry Ford never made the
quote about only black cars, cars were painted with a black varnish that dried
quicker, it was in the twenties when Boss Kettering came up with Duco colors
that didn’t fade. Henry offered other colors, too.
We see everyday how our decisions are influenced by others, how they try to
establish and maintain a control over us. For when the choices are limited, it
is easier to control the crowd. And to keep power to yourself. When God set up
his church, he gave us all various gifts to use within it. None better than the
other, but needed. But yet within the church we see power struggles, which
cause anger and dissention, prideful actions, much different than the spirit
guiding the gifts he gave us. Politics enter, feelings get hurt, and some get
upset because someone else had the idea before they did. But Jesus tells his
disciples that the Gentiles are different, and not to be like them. They find
strength in numbers, ever find a mega church who didn’t brag on their numbers?
Who steal members from other churches and consider that growth? They measure
their power by those under them, using that as their authority. Claiming to be
godly, until you don’t follow their rules, worse yet follow the spirit and
becoming an outcast. A trouble maker, a rebel rouser. Sound like anyone you
know? Ask a Pharisee what they thought of Jesus? Are we more Pharisee than we
choose to recognize?
Jesus goes on to remind them the church is not set up as a hierarchy, it
should have one leader, Jesus Christ. And only one rule, that of love. Yet he
also instructs us to take problems before the elders, who should be wise in the
things of the spirit. Sadly as I am reminded when I approached them, the seven
men gave me seven options, each one feeling they were correct. Never do that
again, I have the spirit to guide me. Another lesson from Jesus.
Only in Christ will you find the freedom to do what you want, to make the
choices yourself. Do not become a slave to denominations, doctrine, pastors, or
false teachings. Be wary when someone comes up to you and says “God told me to
tell you...” no one is ever commanded to follow the advice of someone within the
church. Jesus paved the way for direct communication, do we pray to man or
God? And who do you expect to answer? When God asked Cain “where is your
brother?” and he relied “I don’t know, am I my brother’s keeper?” he wasn’t
telling Cain to exercise control over Abel, but to keep God’s spirit within him,
to love God and his brother, all before the 10 Commandments were written. God’s
law of love has never changed from the beginning, only our interpretation of
it. Keep Jesus command of loving him first and then others as yourself, Cain
obviously didn’t care much for himself.
And remember God placed the colors of the rainbow to show his love, and to
show how he never will judge the world the same again. But a final judgment is
coming, based on who you say Jesus is, heaven awaits those that trust and obey.
Yet some of us live life like the red Corvette, speeding along thinking no one
sees our sin, and wondering why the CHP pulls us over. Conspicuous not by the
color of the car, but by the action of it. Grey, black, and white cars get
ticketed too....
So give me a life of color, in cars and with God. I want to see all the
colors of the rainbow, and all in between. You can be Hemi orange or Tor Red,
the same color only different models. You can be a two tone, India Ivory over
Matador Red. What you get out of life is how you see Jesus, a set of rules to
be obeyed, or to be used over another, or all the colors of the spirit, which
cannot have names except unto God. The old TV shows were filmed in black and
white, but the actors and sets were in color. Only how they are viewed is
different. And how you view Jesus is how others will see you. Don’t let
anyone, the church, pastors, writers-even me, advise you. Go direct to the
color chart of Jesus, and live life in living color. See all he has for you,
remembering how he told the disciples, “on earth as it is in heaven.” All the
colors of the rainbow....aren’t you glad he didn’t make the rainbow black and
white? Instead he included as Ford calls it, “thanks vermillion.” Now the
choices for your interior and vinyl roof....
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com