Who's Rich
Parting shouldn't be a big problem, I thought, since I'd only known her six years. Walking to where she stood, eyeing her, I wondered. Was I making a mistake? I sighed. No, she was just too expensive. After all, she was twenty-four, and even for a German luxury car, that's a long life.
I opened the door and sat, savoring the feel of the leather seats, the look of the finely appointed dashboard. Did I really want to lose this great car? I knew I'd never have another, and I would miss her, a lot.
She was old when I bought her, but her gold body with its classic lines and fine interior was freshly detailed, and at less then $1,500 I couldn't pass her up. I figured even if I had to put a few thousand into her, she'd still be a bargain.
Of course, it turned out she needed more than a few thousand, but she was a joy to drive. Over time, things went wrong, and every fix was expensive. Finally, Kris and I decided to give her to Habitat for Humanity.
Owning her did make something clear to me, and for that, I am thankful. When I began driving her, I worried that people would think me rich. Sometimes I wanted a sign in the window, "I got this car really cheap."
Then I realized, I am rich. Of course, I already knew I was rich in the things that truly count: God's love, my wife and family, a loving congregation, a free and stable community in which to live, and good health. Those are important things.
That car reminded me that, middle class American that I am, I have more material wealth than most people in this nation, more than the vast majority of people in the world today, and more than a huge majority of all people who have ever lived on this earth.
Today, we think of "rich" as having at least a million dollars. I don't have even half of that. Still I have so much more than others, I need to hear Jesus' words: "Much is expected from those to whom much is given," (Luke 12:48) and, "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." (Luke 18:25)
We who have so much must remember it's not really ours, it's God's. It's a trust, to be used according to God's will, not ours, so that it's a blessing for others, not a curse.
Who would have thought that an old car could teach such a lesson.