This Old Clunker

I live in the country. That means I have a place on my property for trash and at least one old junk car. The recent rains in our area have really been bringing out snakes and other varmints. Therefore I decided to try to clean up the old trash heap and get rid of an old car.

I invited a guy over and told him he could have the car if he would just get it off the property. He opened the hood and found some old rats nest and indications where the rats had been eating away at some of the hoses and belts. He also found a 4 foot long rat snake all curled up on top of the motor. But before he could get rid of it, the darn thing slithered away.

Way back in the late 60's my pastor preached a sermon entitled YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. In that moment I received a significant gift of grace. For the first time in my life I heard that I was o.k. - because of God's love. I didn't have to do anything to gain it and my laundry list of failures had been forgiven by His mercy. I felt incredibly free.

Richard Rohr talks about the first half of life being a time for building our containers. And the second half of life being a time to more naturally focus on the content of our lives.

About a year and a half ago I opened the hood on my life again. Low and behold I found some old rats nest and even a few snakes. I called a friend in Texas and shared my pain. I received another gift and reminder of God's continuing love and mercy for me. It was the content of my life that needed gracing this time around...

I was no longer focusing on building the container. In some ways I had arrived. I had title and statue and outwardly I was pretty successful. I had a wife and home and kids and grand kids. I was a pastor and I was even a Director at the Pastoral Institute in the Turner Ministry Resource Center.

When I received that gift from my friend that day, I wish I could say that all the rats and snakes in my life slithered away in that moment of mercy. But you know what? Every time I am willing to open the hood of this old clunker, and really focus on what is there... I continue to find new varmints lurking along with some of my old favorites. Some days this is hard to face, because I get scared and fearful and lonely and anxious. Titles and statue and age and successes don't matter on the inside, if I can't return to God's grace and accept it.

But I can't do that without prayer and meditation and reflection AND community.

Lord, I am thankful today for COMMUNITY - at home, at church, at work... and the other places of fellowship which You provide!

AMEN