Just like most guys, I have a weakness for really beautiful, curvaceous, sexy… cars. What? Did you think I was going to say something else?
For most guys, a beautiful girl will turn their heads…and while they may catch my eye, what will literally turn my head is a shiny, newly polished car that clearly has some power under the hood. And despite all the hot rides that are coming off the line these days, I think my dream car is actually the 1967 Shelby GT 500 that was featured in Gone in 60 Seconds.
That car was hot when it came out in 1967, and it’s even hotter now. But 40 years can do a lot to a car. Next time you’re driving around, just look around at take notice of cars that are about 10 years old. The paint fades, rust creeps in, and dents and scratches appear out of nowhere. Who turns their head for an average 1999 Ford Mustang? So what’s the difference? What makes a 40 yr old car HOT, and a 10 yr old car a piece of junk?
What this car looked like brand new
Something that was said today at one of Church of the Redeemer’s services answered that question for me. We’ve all heard the expression “The grass is greener in other pastures”, but most of us already know through experience that it’s just an illusion. We have a tendency to glamorize what we don’t have. But circumstances are rarely much better on the other side of the fence. Perhaps a better, more constructive quote is something that Pastor Dale has been quoted as saying, “The grass is greener where you water it”.
In a day and age where we are constantly being bombarded with messages from the media that ‘newer is better’, we are constantly seeking gratification by trading in for a newer model. For some of us, it’s a new car. For others, it’s a new wife. The basic idea here is that if it isn’t working, or if it’s causing some problems, just move on and get a newer one. This way of thinking pervades our society. Just look at how many new homes are being built, or how we try and buy our way into happiness. What is wrong with old? What is wrong with aging? Why are people so quick to quit what they have?
But if we just water the areas that we have, we will have green pastures.
A beautiful classic turned to junk if left to the elements without repair and care
It takes a lot of resources and passion to put into an old car, and restoring an old vehicle doesn’t happen overnight. And in a lot of respects, after a classic car has been overhauled, it’s not even the same car. In fact, in my opinion, it’s even better than before because new technologies and styles can be incorporated into the older model. It’s practically a new car. And because of all the sweat and tears that went into rebuilding that car, and the fact that it’s a one of a kind unique beauty, it makes that the most desirable car in the world for me.
Rather than complaining about where you are in life, or what your circumstances are, or what you do or don’t have, what kind of effort are you doing to “water your own pasture”? Imagine if God treated us the way we treat others. What if we were simply traded in for someone newer…someone undamaged. This world would look a lot different without those of us who have been redeemed.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
Fully restored and overhauled 1967 Mustang Shelby GT 500. My idea of a watered pasture.
The Calm Before the Storm 