I like cars. I love those TV shows that show some beat up, rusty wreck being rescued from a junk yard. The show takes the viewer through the process of restoration. We see the rust being cut out, the whole car being sand blasted to remove corrosion, and bent parts being straightened, etc.
The goal is to “restore” the car, that is to say, to return the car to exactly what is was designed to be. Had the car been put away in a temperature and humidity controlled garage and never driven there would never be a need for a restoration. The fact is, almost all cars are bought to be driven and driving damages cars. Not just the normal wear and tear that comes with normal use, but also the mistakes made by the car’s driver as well as the mistakes made by other drivers. The longer the car is driven, the more the damage and the greater the need for a restoration.
People are just like cars. Life has a way of damaging us to where we are no longer recognizable as we were originally designed to be. The damage comes from the life mistakes [driving mistakes] we make, as well as the damage caused by the mistakes of others. We call these mistakes “sins”.
Our Father God is in the restoration business. His goal is to return us to the beautiful and perfect person He originally designed us to be. It is critical to keep in mind that His goal is not to change us into another kind of person. He has no “perfect human” in mind. He is not trying to end up with one model person copied billions of times. He is into diversity, hence DNA. I find it very comforting to realize that as He “transforms” me, the transformation results in me becoming more myself. What an amazing concept!
Every day spent in His company results in me becoming a little more myself. So much for the bad PR going around that says once He gets ahold of you He is going to turn you into a clone of Mother Teresa or some boring goody two shoes.
The fact is, you are truly better off in His hands than your own because He is a master restorer and He loves His “cars”.
What is our part in this transformation? A car seems like a passive object.
Great observation Marvin! Because we have free will the car analogy only works as far as God’s intentions are concerned. It the car had free will it’s role would be to stay in the shop and co-operate with the sometimes painful work of being torn down and rebuilt. Our role in co-operating with the restoring work of God in our lives is to stay as close to Him as we can. We do not have the power inherent in our human nature to fix ourselves. Were we able to, the result would be self-righteousness, which would result in extreme pride. Our role is to stay in intimate relationship with our Father such that His love and His power are working within us daily, in fact, hourly – moment by moment. My new book explores this dynamic in detail. Thanks for the comment.