The Load

How much work has this old truck accomplished?  I can tell by the scars and dents on the back of the cab that there have been a few burdens.  The way the front of the box was smashed up against the cab, it would indicate a rare load or two may have slid forward after a hard stop.  How much more could have been stacked up back there?  I suppose now with the new engine the old truck could haul more than ever before.  Yet the framework is still light duty pick up, 3100 Chevrolet, half ton.  Sometimes we will get into a project a little deeper than we should.  In the process we realize that this potential risk we now face has been here all along!  Sure it is only a few more bricks!  Wisdom would dictate the prudence of a little thought prior to loading.  It would be smart to avoid getting into trouble at any stage of life.  It would not be good to engage in activities that will only abuse the life out of us.  There are common things that require way too much work!  It looked like fun at the time!  The payoff is too high!  We were never intended to carry a load of those bricks anyway!  Sometimes, it would be better to never load the truck!

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.                                             1 Cor 10:13 ESV

Little Things

I was just standing there looking at the old truck.  I should have left the garage a while ago but I noticed I had not re-connected a grounding strap.   Since the truck cab is resting on rubber mounts there must be a flexible braided brass strap connecting the metal cab to the steel frame. Without it the electrical system will not work.  It is very important to get this done.  It was just another little thing that had to be completed.  I cannot tell you how many more little things still need to be accomplished.  I have figured out that these things must not be overlooked.  Each little undone thing is a potential nightmare waiting to terrorize my life, my ride, on the open highway.  Sometimes I wish I could see all those little things right now and make a good list ahead of time.  Unexpectedly, there is a new list of things demanding attention right now!  On the other hand, if I really understood how much work there was yet to do I might become discouraged and quit.  Maybe the blessing is in not knowing about all these things that remain unfinished.  I am certain there will be some challenges yet to come but for now, I must keep going!  Get something done every week.  Stay faithful to the project.  Until then I will just keep working on those things I already know about. 

Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.   Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

Phil 3:15-16 (ESV)

Hope

I was gazing upon a picture of the old truck today.  It has been almost two years since I heard there was an old truck setting out behind this guy’s house.  He told me to go look at it.  He said, “If you want it you can have it.”   The old truck has been mine since the day I brought her home.  The present and future condition of this ole’ truck now rest upon my ability to keep any and all promises I have made.  The funny part was, there in the yard; to look at her you could not tell much had changed.  The old truck had a new position, my yard.  It had new authority, my control.  She had a new loyalty, my service.  The work of rescue and restoration had begun!  Now the old truck is somewhere amid the reality of what she once was, and what she will become!  In this place concerning two realities there is a lot of room for her old scars to be seen while she is in full anticipating a new life.  Those of us who see the scars should not judge.  Those of us who see her beauty should find hope for the days ahead.  Her hope is with her owner, the one who made the promises; she will run the roads again.

 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.  And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.              1 John 3:2-3 (ESV)

REFLECTIONS IN THE GLASS

When the old truck was in route to a full work day, I am certain many scenes were completely missed.  The job, the destination, and the slow impassable vehicles ahead were among the obstructions that forced the eyes to watch the road just in front of the hood.  How many decorated sunrises, snow tipped mountains, and emerald meadows have been reflected in the windshield?  In the course of daily activity, good things like family and friends have approached the sphere of vision.  In the moments of distraction they escape unnoticed into the cool evening shadows.  How many such wonders have been lost because of the demands of the winding road?  At the time, it seemed as though there were no other options but to drive the truck.  Looking back now, life has passed by!  

For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’                                      Matt 13:15 (ESV)

The Hypocrisy of Paint

So I started to put some fresh paint on the old truck.  This time-worn work horse has a lot of road scars from bad driver decisions and unsecured loads.  Yet with all her historic bruises, welts, and scars this truck is going back into service, not some museum.  The saving grace of fresh paint; the rust is gone.  The dents are still visible but they are covered.  The new life and color are great from a distance, but when standing close the imperfections can still be seen under the fresh paint.  As a matter of fact, somehow, the renewed coat has magnified the scars of her old life.  I wondered as I worked on the old truck, “is she a hypocrite for wearing a new coat when she is just and old truck?  Is it right for her to make a fresh start and go back into full truck service for her owner and maker?  Who does she think she is?  Those who knew her in another life might simply call her a hypocrite.  There she is, pretending to be all new when we can still see her old dents and scars!”  We remember who she used to be!  The truth is that while some may criticize her attempts at the new life, in the end the one who loves her will be her judge.  You might say she is not perfect, just forgiven!      

Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.  Ps 32:1   NIV

One Real Good Door

Actually, when the weather is great it is a lot of fun to ride around with the doors off.  I remember riding in a military jeep back in Vietnam with no top or doors.  I guess it was all about an easy in or easy out depending on the immediate situation.  I’m sure there a few guys out there who could tell us stories about jeeps without doors.   

There are so many things that need to be done next that it freaks me out to look at the old truck.   I was sitting in it the other day pondering what I should do… next!  As I sat in the driver’s seat, leaning back with my hands on the old cracked steering wheel like a boy without a license, I just wondered.  No doors!  I guess I could fix the doors.  No matter how much fun it would be to go door-less, when the weather turns cold and evil, it is a great thing to have doors and to be on the inside of them.  Have you ever thought about how many times in just one day an average person might move through a doorway?  Why doors?   Are they trying to keep us in or keep us out?   They offer ingress, egress, safety, security, protection, and passage.  I am looking forward to the day when One will say, “Get in, shut the door, buckle up, hang on, we are going for the ride of your life!” 

I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.                                                                                           John 10:9 (KJV)

Daily Braking

For the cost of replacing all the old drum-brake parts it made good sense to upgrade.  In the course of an average day’s driving the brakes are a very important piece of technology.  As any old truck would tell you, there have been times when good working brake system was a real life saving blessing.  I can think of a few times that I would have been in serious trouble if the braking system had not worked.  So while we were hanging the new calipers on those shiny rotors it came to me as a sun beam though the trees during an early morning cruise.  This little nugget of truth slapped me with the full import of reality.  Even when there is no obvious pending danger, when the ride is a routine short hop to the corner store, the brakes are always in service. We seldom realize how much we use the brakes every time we go out for a drive.  How and when to apply the brakes is a task we learn in the early stages of driver education.  Any old truck that has survived a close call or two, and has the dents and dings to prove it, will tell you the skill of daily braking is the result of open road experience.  We may not think of it often but the braking skills and systems have become part of who we are in the moment of our every movement. 

The highway of the upright turns aside from evil; whoever guards his way preserves his life. Prov 16:17 (ESV)