LIVE-BY FEEL:
"Oh man, what a wild ride! Ya-hoooo! How fast am I going? Wow, this next corner is really going to be tight. Oh well, what have I got to fear - FUN is the goal! Yeeehaah!"I remember the feeling. Speed and adrenaline. Freedom!"Wow! I nearly lost that last one coming out of the corner!"Smash! Thud! Tinkle . . . . tinkle . . . . clank."Oops, some minor damage. Oh well, nothing a little patch and paint won't fix. But man, was that ever fun, and that's the key - FUN! Oh what a feeling. Wow, wait till' I tell everyone how close that last ride was - and the rush! WOW!"Living, I recall, was defined by how well you satisfied your senses. Drive-by-feel. Live-by-feel. Make the senses happy.
"Oh wow (pant, gasp), am I ever glad for this stop light! I really need to catch my breath. Ahh, that's much better. My hair's combed again, my shirt tails are tucked back in, and I actually found my glasses . . . . in the back seat! OK, I'm ready. C'mon light . . . turn green . . . c'mon . . . c'mon . . . . GO!"Roar! Squeal! Zooooooom!And that is life - was life. That was the way it was for me. Things are different now. My 'ride' has changed.
NEW RIDE:
I have three new acquaintances in my life. I must admit that I haven't really seen these fellows yet, but I have come to know them in a very profound and intimate way. They are quite a team, these three; very good at what they do. Their record is perfect, as well it should be. They've been at it since "the beginning". They caught my attention one day, and offered me a new 'ride' in exchange for the old one I had been beating up on for 32 years. Straight up swap - no questions asked. Can you believe that? They actually allowed me to decide if I wanted to accept this brand new way through life in exchange for my old way.
It's quite unique, this new 'ride' I've chosen. It's not too flashy, and it doesn't go as fast as my old machine, but it seems to always get me where I need to go in just the right amount of time. It's uncanny that way. Quite often I don't understand these things, but invariably I find out why. It's like this new 'ride' wants to show me that it's trustworthy.My three friends told me when I chose my new 'ride' that, although it may at times appear slow and drab and underpowered, it possesses more power than anything I had ever seen before. Admittedly, I didn't notice that at first. However, in time, I realized the truth of what they told me. In fact, it seems to increase in power the more familiar with it I become.My new 'ride' has a few other peculiarities too. For instance, I have noticed that it possesses ever increasing power that appears to be directly related to a weakness that I display in my own life. Somehow there is power in my weakness -- imagine that! It's description is elusive, but this new 'ride' of mine responds to a humility and servant-like attitude in a manner that sometimes brings tears to my eyes. It's certain that my old ride never responded quite like that.
Another interesting feature is the ride and handling. There are times I surely know I'm on the Belgian blocks of life. Some rides are truly uncomfortable to my backside. But I've noticed that I never seem to be hurt to badly when the road smoothes out and I'm able to take stock of the damages. In fact, when I look back in the rear view mirror at what I just bounced over, I sometimes wonder how I made it at all!THE VIEW:
Speaking of views, let me tell you of the perspective I get in this 'ride' of mine that has changed everything I used to believe about life. Initially, when I first chose this new 'ride', my three new friends couldn't fill me in on what I would actually 'see' when I began my journey. I simply understood that I must drive it myself to comprehend it's capabilities.
I suppose it could be the tinted windows, or the way the seats hold me in a certain position, but all I really know is that I can see the traffic of life like I've never seen it before. Why, many times now, I've been able to avoid bad accidents and unpleasant situations up ahead that in the past I would have plowed into headlong. What an excellent feature of my 'ride'!
The Rear View Mirror
A Reflection On Salvation
The Goodsoil Discipleship Ministry
By Bro. Andy Madonio
March 14, 1996
Introduction:
As I look back at my unsaved days without Jesus and glimpse the wonderful life God prepared for me, I was (still!) aghast at how skillfully I became at literally destroying myself and those near me. And yet, in spite of myself and my supreme ignorance, God continued (still!) to provide me with great blessings in the midst of my bunglings.Hosea 4:6 applies to me perfectly; "My people are destroyed from a lack of knowledge." Also, 1 Corinthians chapter 10 was written to remind us, God's people, to glance at "where we was," in order to learn about "where we is" as well as "where we's goin'."I hope you can guess who my 'friends' in this story are. One of them in particular is apt to whisper wonderful and important things to you -- if you listen carefully and cultivate your hearing (Isaiah 30:21). He's a bit of a back-seat driver, but He knows where you and I are going, so it's quite O.K. Relax, look and listen.THE REAR VIEW MIRROR:
Remember earlier when I mentioned the view in my rear view mirror? Let me tell you something more about that. Now listen closely, because what I've seen in that rear view mirror is the most telling feature of my new ride.What I've seen in that mirror . . . .It shows me things, scenes, a past, MY past. It reveals a highway that was traveled once. It was traveled by me, and it literally shows me of another world and time. The way it was.The highway that my rear view mirror reveals is truly diabolical. No loving care was used in it's construction. My rear view mirror has shown me . . . . it still occasionally shows me the particular stretch of road I was on. What it shows me is my road, one made especially for me.THE BRANCH:
And today, or any day my mirror shows me, I can clearly see the branch that I came to in my own road now gone past. My view of that abrupt divergence grows clearer and clearer each time I see it revealed to me.Ironically, those two distinct paths sometimes become so clear to me that the flow of tears causes me to lose sight of the view for a moment. Yet I can still faintly detect certain figures standing there at the branch in my road, my perception clouded as if I were looking through a darkly stained window pane, but I know who they are. Those figures are my three loving friends that offered me my 'ride' and allowed me to turn away from the path I once traveled and embrace the road I'm on today.Yes, my rear view mirror shows me things . . . .My road today is gradually sloping up. I suppose this higher vantage point is the reason I can so clearly see where the other tine of the fork goes. The detail is remarkable! In a twisted and morose way, I do see a well laid out design in that other road, the path I turned away from at the branch.That road has a very rough and immutable descent. I can tell from here that it is much steeper than it seems when you are actually on it. That's an important part of it's design. I can see twists and turns and obstacles built into it that guarantee accidents. In addition, I can see that my dark and foreboding road was so perfectly constructed that I would have felt completely justified and blameless in the midst of those carefully planned 'accidents'. Can you imagine that?! "Not my fault", I would exclaim. "The end justifies the means", was a common plea from my lips.I can also see the frightful 'decisions' that I made on that awful strip of asphalt, as black as the deeds committed on it. In truth, those are the 'decisions' I would have made, had I turned left at the branch.But I turned right . . . . at my branch, and was lovingly adopted into a new family.Down there, on the other path, only a short way past those 'never made decisions', were the actual accidents that awaited me. It's so clear it still frightens me today. On that other road, there is real pain, agony, anger, loneliness and despair. The road's designer was so clever that with bold assurance he groomed my attitude to be defiantly justified in whatever I did. Wrong or not, I would rationalize everything in my favor.Oh thank you my dear friends for allowing me the opportunity to turn to the 'right' road when I finally encountered my 'branch'. Thank you also, my dear rear view mirror, for revealing to me the heartache and pain I was rescued from.ONWARD:
My road and my 'ride' are now those of an ever-learning servant. I am constantly asking and seeking my 3 friends for advice and favors, knocking incessantly on their door (they share a common address as you might have surmised). Whenever I lapse and begin to feel like I can do it without their help, that's the very moment when my rear view mirror seizes my attention. Instantly it reveals to me afresh all that I've just described to you - all over again. It hurts a little, but only for a moment. Once I reflect in my rear view mirror upon that easy to follow yet best avoided highway to hell that I am no longer a traveler on, I know I've learned a valuable lesson. I know I have grown immeasurably stronger in my weakness. My three best friends tell me so.It's funny how they just gave me this new and wonderful 'ride', with all it's unique features; like the rear view mirror for example. And all these fellows ever asked me to do in return was to tell others that they should take a ride for themselves too. I understand there is a large inventory available for immediate delivery.REFLECTION:
Are you the proud owner of a 'new ride' too? Maybe you feel like it's grown a bit tarnished and soiled. You may remember that it once was shiny and bright and felt so good to be in, but now it's grown familiar, and you realize you've taken poor care of it.Take an occasional glance in your rear view mirror, all the 'rides' have them as standard. Look back at the road you once traveled in that other 'ride' you once had. There is also a 'branch' in your road, just as in mine. Take a good long look at that other path that leads ever downward, the one you chose not to travel. You see, if you glance in your rear view mirror every now and then, you'll find that your current 'ride' will improve. It will actually feel and smell new all over again. It's another unique feature it possesses. You need to do that, for the sake of your journey.