by Denny Hook

I was thinking the other day that one thing cars don’t have any more are hood ornaments. You know; that image of something sleek, fast and distinct to the model and maker of the car. They used to be bolted solid until the late 1970’s, but that’s when the politically correct crowd deemed them too dangerous if you hit a pedestrian. (Like that happens a lot LOL) After that, they had to be spring-loaded so they would give when hit. The last cars we owned that had them were a 1984 Lincoln Continental and a 1985 Ford Crown Victoria. Today, hood ornaments have been reduced to a flat emblem which you can’t even see from the driver’s seat, unless you drive a Mack truck, in which case you’re looking at the rear end of a Bulldog.

A more believable hazard the hood ornament posed (in my opinion) was that people would drive by it. What I mean is; they would use it as a guide and line it up with the white shoulder line or lane divider line. As a result, their car would be positioned in their lane accordingly. Being a professional truck driver with over 45 years of experience, I can spot someone doing this in a heartbeat. How? They aren’t looking beyond their hood and getting the “Big Picture”. They are focusing on the ornament and aren’t aware of what’s going on around them. They make panic moves like hard braking, which can cause all kinds of problems such as rear end collisions or going in the ditch to avoid them. A good driver will always “Aim High, and get the Big Picture” They will look way down the road for potential hazards, and then focus closer. They will look left, right, and in the mirrors; repeating the cycle every 10–15 seconds or less in heavy traffic. Drivers who follow 20 feet off the bumper of the car ahead of them doing 75-85 mph are short-sighted and ignorant. Fact: You will steer toward what you are focusing on.

I think my big “pet peeve” is people who drive the left lane and never move to the right lane on the interstate. It’s like they’re saying, “I want to go as fast as I want, to get to where I’m going. Therefore, I’ll just stay in this lane and pass everyone, because it’s such a hassle to keep changing lanes; so stay out of my way”. They are self-centered and have their own agenda, and rarely signal except to flip someone off in “their” lane going slower. They commonly run in packs like wolves, or better yet, dumb sheep following each other. I always have to laugh when there is a patrol car in the median with radar, because as soon as they see them, they get in the right lane and slow down. Once past however, it’s hammer down and back into the left lane, even if there is no one ahead of them in the right lane. Many times I’ve seen them come from the on ramp and head straight for the left lane, cutting cars off in the right lane. More and more I witness how drivers ignore or forget the fundamental laws of driving, and sadly I have to include many truck drivers. I would bet that most people on the highway could not pass the written exam outright, because they only took it when they first got their license, and have forgotten what it says.

On the highway of life, what are you focusing on? Are you short-sighted like the person looking at the hood ornament, or are you “Aiming high and getting the big picture”? There are so many things in our lives that could classify as hood ornaments that distract our focus and prevent us from seeing the big picture. It could be a job that you pour yourself into as you climb the so-called ladder of success. Perhaps it’s all the stuff you accumulate to maintain a certain image or social status. Hobbies can turn into obsessions, and possessions  into idols. Texting, Twitter and Facebook have become the new norm for conducting our relationships. The quest for the latest technological gadget is never satisfied. Faster and faster our agendas drive us and fill our calendars and day-timers till they’re full and overflowing. All these “things” are a vital part of our pursuit of happiness and significance, but collectively miss the “Big Picture“.

So what is the “Big Picture”? Simply stated, it’s Eternity, and where you will spend it. All roads lead to somewhere, but Eternity has only two paths, Heaven or Hell. Jesus stated this very plainly in Matthew 7:13-14. He describes the highway to Hell almost like a paved multi-lane interstate traffic jam with so many people headed in the same direction. On the other hand He describes the way to Heaven as difficult, narrow, hard to find, and with not much traffic. How sobering and horrific it will be for those who spent their lives focusing on the hood ornaments, only to realize they missed the big picture. Jesus said, “There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”. Sadly there will be many in that hour who thought they were on the right path, only to find they weren’t.

The way to eternal life is not by becoming a Christian, in the sense that you fulfill a certain religious set of rules, protocol or hoops that your church says you must jump through. I’ve been there and done that. I was baptized as a baby, went to Sunday school and church, took confirmation and learned about ordinances, creeds and confessions. I did what was expected and memorized a few verses so I could get my Christian driver’s license so to speak. I lived my life the way I wanted, and if there was a written essay exam on how to get to Heaven, I would have flunked.

I once heard a true story from a Nazi death camp survivor. They were being interviewed on TV and the host was showing some actual video footage of hundreds of people being led from box cars into the camp. The host made the remark that he only saw a few guards with guns, and had the thought ever occurred that this mass of people could easily overpower them. The person being interviewed said no, because the guards just kept repeating over and over, “Keep moving- don’t stop!”.

My friend, today if the hood ornament you’re focusing on is telling you to “Keep moving- don’t stop”, you’re headed for eternal destruction on the wrong highway. It’s time to take the next exit, and find the path to eternal life. Jesus said, (John 14:6) “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Focus on Jesus and you will steer towards Him, because He is the “Big Picture”.