Today's Devotional
June 17, 2005
Subject: Don't Get A New One, Fix What You've Got
Revelation 21:5 - "And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful."
When I bought my car in 1991, it was brand new and really nice. It was a basic BMW with great handling skills and it looked great. That was 1991. Since then it's been through many changes due to weathering, mileage and harsh road treatment by the driver. However, I really enjoyed the car when I bought it so through it all, I've wanted to maintain it well and keep it running so that it could be around a long time. Over the years, I've been told to get rid of the car by my insurance company, who wrote it off in 2001 because it was in an accident and they said it wasn't worth it to repair it, and by lots of well meaning family and friends who surmised that a Lieutenant Colonel in the Marine Corps could surely afford something better than a 14 year-old auto and should simply "get a new car." On top of that, about a year and a half ago, the odometer quit working at 266,118 miles, so I don't know how many miles I have on the car, but it's a lot. Well, I stuck with the car and today it looks better than it did when it was new. Almost everywhere I go now, I get remarks from people about the car. In less than a week, I've actually had 2 offers from people who wanted to buy the car and lots more inquiries from people who simply wanted to know if I'd sell it.
Compare the way I stuck with that car to the way many of us stick with relationships. Now if we can have that level of commitment to such material or temporal things as a car, how much more should we commit to relationships in this life. Marriages, friendships, family and even just working relationships all need maintenance so that they will be around for a long time. However, often we simply enter them and then like most people treat their car, after the relationship is a little "weathered" or no longer brand new, we look for another one to replace it. This ought not to be.
Middle-aged crisis, the jealousy of what others have and many other things distract us from keeping and maintaining what we have. People now look at my car and say "gee can I have one like that?" I would also like people to look at relationships that I've developed and say, "gee can I have a relationship like that?" I'd like to answer them and say, "yes you can, but it takes sticking to it long after the newness has worn off." When the insurance company has given up on your "vehicle" you've got to stick with it. After the odometer is broken and the miles just keep clicking on, you've got to keep on rolling with it. The key is not to see what your car "was", but what it "could" be.
Today ignore the story about the car but take the principles and apply them to your relationships. As the verse says, "God makes all things new." Every relationship isn't meant to be forever, but many are. For those that are lifelong, don't get a new one, fix the one you've got.
Carlen