FORDS & FAITH
I bet you already think you know what this Whatcha is all about. You think I'm going to say that if you drive a Ford, you need faith, right? Nope, not at all. I would never publicly make such a statement about any automotive manufacturer! But I do have an interesting tidbit of information for you. Did you know that 87% of Ford Explorer owners have never taken their vehicles off-road? According to the Ford Motor Company themselves, this seems to be the case. There you have it; a bit of trivia to astound your friends and annoy your neighbours! I don't know about you, but little bits of information like that can send me off in all kinds of directions. But before you begin grieving for me because I obviously don't have a life if I can ponder such trivial trivia, let's see if we can get a spiritual nugget or two from this information.
First of all, what is a Ford Explorer anyway? It is classified as a Sports Utility Vehicle, right? This means that such mechanical marvels are specifically designed to go off-road and ramble around the woods, on back roads and, over hill and dale. I would imagine a team of highly paid, highly skilled engineers invested some serious brain power designing these vehicles to take the bumps, the rocks, the rolls of going where no personage has gone before. Why? Because that's what these vehicles are designed to do. This is the purpose Ford had in mind when they started scratching the old drawing board. Yet, 87% of people who have purchased these highly specialized vehicles, have never taken them off-road.
To put it another way, 87% have never used their vehicle in the way that the designers intended. Humm. I wonder what the reasons are? Obviously, the Explorer appeals to people for reasons other than going off-road. Some may have purchased their vehicle because they liked the style. Others may have bought it with the sincere intention to get out into the great beyond, wrestle grizzlies and become rugged individualistic types, but their plans never saw the light of day. Maybe they got stuck in a traffic jam, or sidetracked in the city, who knows. Then, I'm sure there are some people who have purchased Explorers because they wanted the ability to go off-road, even though they really didn't plan on actually doing it. You know, kind of like a mechanical insurance policy that can be cashed in if there is ever a need. Others may have bowed to peer pressure. "Well, you know, Sam, Bob, Bill, Ted and I all have Explorers. You really need to buy yourself one of these puppies!" I guess there are all kinds of reasons that prompt us to buy the vehicles we end up with, aren't there? I imagine Ford is tickled pink knowing that their Explorer model has become as popular as it has.
Now, let's turn our thoughts to a spiritual application. I wonder what the percentages would be regarding those who use their faith in a way other than the designer (GOD) intended? I'll leave it to you to speculate on a number; it's really not my place to say. But, I DO know that there are lots of people who are using their faith in a way that cripples their growth, their relationship, and their witness. Some may be part of a fellowship because they like the style, the worship experience, the resources, or the warmth of the people who attend. Others received their vehicles, purchase by God, fully intending to use them in the way the Designer specified. They love Christ, and responded to the free gift of salvation and the call to follow, but they got stuck in the traffic jam of legalism, or sidetracked on one spiritual tangent or another. Others view their faith as a Heavenly Insurance Policy - you never know when you might need it.
I guess the question is: What is the Designer's intended purpose for the Christian experience? Simple. It is to have a loving, growing relationship with God. Did you know that? God didn't send His Son into this world to live the perfect life and then die on the cross for our sins, just so that we can be saved! Yep, you heard me right. Jesus didn't come into this world just to save us! Further, He didn't come into the world so that people would have things to do and feel part of a fellowship of like-minded believers. In addition, He didn't come into the world to entertain us, or make us feel warm and fuzzy. All of these things, including salvation itself, are by-products of the real reason Jesus came. Jesus came into this world so that we can have a relationship with God. Such is the intention of the Eternal Designer for our faith. The thought you need to ponder is: Are you involved in your faith in the way that God intended, or have you become sidetracked? Are you focussed on Christ? Are you praying, reading, serving and worshipping focussed on Christ? If you're not, isn't it time to take your faith off-road? Don't worry, our faith has been carefully designed to take all the bumps, all the hills and mountains and valleys that life can throw our way.
Prayer
Lord, help us never forget the purpose of our faith, which is to grow in our relationship with You. Help us to do all that we do in this life to grow in that most precious of all relationships. Lord, forgive us for those times we've gotten sidetracked and forgotten why we've been saved! Amen!
