New Cars

Just the other day, as I was leaving Market Street with a few items for dinner I noticed out of the corner of my eye a really sweet looking Corvette.  I have always loved Corvettes for as long as I can remember.  There was something special about this Corvette; it was not like any other Corvette I had ever seen.  As it came closer I discovered why it was so unique.  It turned out to be a Ferrari.  As it drove passed me I also noticed that it was a new Ferrari that still had the Buyer Tags. 

I had two thoughts about this car; one why would you come shopping in a Ferrari and two where is he going to park that car?  I watched for a minute or so as the driver drove up and down the rows of parking places looking for the one spot on the parking lot where his new car would not be touched or damaged.  I do give him credit for shopping at Market Street where the Sackers carry out your groceries and push the carts back and forth.  As far as being in danger of a runaway shopping cart he had chosen wisely.  Just as I expected, the driver did the same thing that I do when I am parking a new car in a parking lot.  He parked as far away from other cars as possible.  The chances of anyone parking that far away were pretty remote. 

I know that I and the Ferrari owner are not the only two people who do that type of thing with new cars.  As a matter of fact, most of us seem to take care of our new possessions.  You and I go to great lengths to make sure that those things that are important to us are protected.  I can remember when I was in grade school I would get a new pair of tennis shoes and they would be all nice and white.  (For the younger crowd you need to know that there was once a time when all athletic shoes were either white or black and they came in two styles; low cut or high tops.)  Anyway, I can remember trying to protect my new shoes and for the most part I was successful until I arrived at my school where I would be greeted by my friends who would then proceed to place their shoe on top of mine and in an instant my shoes were broken in and I could be off the races.

It is similar with our “new cars”  most of us seem to go to great lengths to protect our cars until the “new” wears off and then we will once again look for those parking places which are closest to the front door of the store.   One ding on a door and you are good to park anywhere you want.

This causes me to wonder about how careful we are in life with the truly important things of life.  How careful are you with your marriages?  Do you protect your marriage from danger? Or are you careless with your relationships by putting yourself in circumstances that could cause great harm or damage to your most precious relationship.  How careful are you with children?  Sometimes we go to great lengths to keep them physically safe and then we are careless with video games, movies, music and friendships. How careful are you with …you?  Do you take care of yourself spiritually, physically, emotionally, and mentally?  Do you do things to help you grow in those areas? 

Life is precious and it is short.  You and I need to do our best to keep those things that are truly valuable safe.  For those who are wondering where to start the process of improving your safety, let me suggest starting with Jesus.  The safest place I know is in the arms of Jesus.

Love God.  Go Love Others.

Scars

A few months ago my niece had an accident that resulted in her having an injury to her neck.  Her parents took her to a local emergency room where they did the normal types of tests.  At first they did not seem to think much of anything was wrong, but they did one more test, a CT scan.  The results came back from the scan and they were not good.  She had a broken neck.  The ER immediately transferred her to Children’s Hospital in Dallas.  The doctors and medical team installed a Halo on her head to keep it in place. 

Now when I say they installed a Halo that really doesn’t communicate everything involved in that process.  The “installation” includes being put under anesthesia and having a ‘metal cage’ looking devise screwed into her skull.  These screws are bigger than you might think they would need to be and when I say that they were screwed into her skull that is exactly what they did.  This is not a simple process.  Precision is critical and the doctors mean for the Halo to stay in place for three months.  That’s right, three long months.  Needless to say, the whole ordeal was painful.  Through the painstaking procedure, my niece was a real trooper.  She did more than survive she grew as a person and grew in her faith.  She faced each step of the process and each obstacle with amazing poise and grace. 

The good news is the Halo was removed the other day and she is well on her way to having her broken neck healed.  Three months of pain and discomfort is over.  Even though the halo is removed there are reminders of this experience on both sides of her forehead.  Those screws that were key to the success of the process have created two round scars.  Those scars will be on her head for the rest of her life.

When I saw the pictures of her following the removal of the screws, my first thought about the scars was “beautiful”!   Some of you may think that is a strange thought to have about scars. A beautiful teenage girl will have those scars for the rest of her life, but I love those scars.  Over time the scars will fade some and the magic of makeup will cause them be unnoticeable, but they will be there for life. 

Those scars on each side of her forehead are indeed beautiful.  Not for how they look, but for what they did for my niece.  Because of those scars she will be able to take drivers training in a few months, graduate on time from high school, go to college, have that “first dance” at her wedding (let’s put that off for awhile), and she will get to have a family of her own.  In short, those scars mean that she gets to live her life and live out her dreams. 

Scars are reminders of the events of our life.  I have a scar on my left forefinger that I got in 1973 at a junior high band contest in Ennis, Texas.  I was playing with my pocketknife that I was not supposed to have and I accidentally cut my finger.  I was taken to the school nurse who wrapped it up.  Lessons learned.  To this day I can see that scar and remember that event as if it happened yesterday.  I can still hear my band director lecturing me and taking away my pocketknife until the end of the school year.  I still have the knife and the scar. 

Scars cause you to remember the events in your life that are significant and life changing.  Some of you have a scar that runs down the middle of your chest that is a result of you having an open-heart surgery that changed your life forever and most likely saved your life.  Scars that come as a result of an event which save your life are indeed beautiful scars.

Over 2000 years ago our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was nailed to the cross and crucified.  He was the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all mankind.  That event changed the relationship you and I have with God forever.  The crucifixion saved the life of all those who choose to obey God and live their life for him.  The scars on the hands and feet of Jesus are beautiful scars.  They are not beautiful for the physical appearance, but rather the beauty is seen in what those scars represent.  Those scars are reminders to you and I that God loved us so much that he sent his one and only son to die for our sins so that we might live with him forever.

As for my niece, the scars on her forehead mean she has a full life now and the scars on the hands of her Savior mean she has a full and abundant life now and forever.

Scars. 

Lessons.

Life.

Love.

Thankful.

Love God.  Go Love Others.