Pastor Jim Mann
“Requiem for a Truck”
I was in an automobile accident last week. Fortunately all parties are alright…except for my truck. That old, blue, 1999 Ford has passed from this life, and I grieve her passing.
It is true, she had seen better days. She had 250,000 miles on her. She had scratched paint. The headlining was beginning to droop. The window tint was bubbling. There were occasional electrical shorts. She had creaks and rattles. Lately almost every fill-up required a quart of oil, too.
We’d been together a long time. I got her when I started New Life Church. Back then we met in a gymnasium we rented. So we had a trailer filled with sound equipment, children’s Sunday School paraphernalia, everything you might need for a Sunday service.
My old blue truck pulled that trailer every Sunday, to and from church, for many years. It didn’t matter if it was raining, freezing, or triple digits. I also moved the furniture of almost every parishioner in our small congregation at some point or another. She might not have been the most beautiful vehicle on the road, but boy was she useful.
Just the week before my accident my wife told me it was “time for a new truck.” But I wasn’t ready to part with her (the truck or my wife). All those miles…they had been mine, too. The creaks and rattles…I knew them. I remember each scratch in the paint and how I got it. And most importantly, the truck belonged to me, not the bank.
Sometimes I wonder if God feels the same about me. There are newer, flashier models out there; but He values consistency, right? Faithfulness? And scratches and scrapes…He’s been with me through all of them.
Most importantly, I belong to Him. I may not be perfect. I may have my failings. But when it’s all said and done I’m His, and His word tells me He keeps His own (see John 17).
So unfortunately I’m in the market for a new truck. But I will always remember my old one. She was a good and faithful servant. Which is something I hope to hear the Father say about me too someday.
I’ll see you in church!
Jim Mann, Ph.D. pastors New Life Church at Robson Ranch. This interdenominational church meets at the Robson Clubhouse on Sunday mornings at 8:30 a.m. Visit New Life’s website: www. NewLifeDenton.org for more information.