Murray Smith
One morning last week we were awoken at dawn, by something strange… an abandoned car sat just outside our house, with its motor running. A smashed window and mangled ignition barrel on the steering column, painted a predictable picture.
We had heard a vehicle taking ‘centre stage’ about 3.30am, with dodgy driving and tyres skidding in protest. Confirmation came later that it had been stolen from a nearby resident, before being abandoned by our place.
Just for ‘fun’, the roof had been jumped on like a trampoline to complete the entertainment.
For the next 15 hours this car sat with the motor idling away. Yes, 15 hours! We were told not to touch it by the ‘powers that be’ and hoped it would run out of petrol. It didn’t.
Later, with evening approaching and heat fumes rising from the bonnet, we decided that enough was enough.
Disconnecting the battery terminals achieved nothing but it was a simple matter to turn the motor off – anything in the nature of a flat head screwdriver would have sufficed, since the brutalised ignition barrel provided keyless entry at its best – thanks to the thief’s efforts. The car still ‘adorns’ our street.
Is there some point to this disclosure? Actually, yes. It got me thinking about what a crime it is when something is stolen, used, abused and mistreated with activity that it was never purposed or intended for. There’s a parallel here that is readily connected to the condition of human beings.
Francis Schaeffer, a gifted writer, theologian and philosopher, explained it well, describing the human race as “a glorious ruin”. “Glorious” because we were created by God, in His image, for Him; we are ‘ruins’ because we love God’s stuff more than we love God; we choose what has been made, over the maker; creation over the Creator – pleasing ourselves – thinking it works, but never asking: is it right? Consequently, due to the theft and misappropriation of our intended destiny and purpose, we’ve become broken – detached from the source of our true potential. The purpose and likeness of God remains in us… defaced, but not eradicated.
Think of the creativity that people express in different ways… the ability to dream and create beautiful paintings or sculptures… to craft songs and music that moves hearts, to pen poems, write stories that shift culture… to design majestic structures, to come up with marvellous inventions and technology. Consider those who work to better humanity, to alleviate suffering, caring and valuing others, often living sacrificially.
It’s a fact- people are made in the likeness of their Creator. As ‘image bearers’, people exhibit wonder and marvel…Yet for all that, apart from God’s redemption and reinstatement, we remain lost… incomplete. Seeing beyond damaged humanity’s brokenness, God viewed our inherent value and has provided a recovery plan.
The car is not beyond repair and restoration. It’s broken but still reflects the manufacturer’s vision. Like us. Irrespective of how ripped off by life, broken or mistreated we may become, God’s vision for our best life can be re-born within, through a personal relationship with Christ.
