A Visit to the Junkyard

Broken Seat in Van

We bought a 2000 Toyota Sienna in response to a call to hospitality.  Moving from 5 to 7 passengers allowed us to host more friends and family.  We've also been able to remove the seats to haul wood and furniture.  While removing the seats, one of the hinges jammed.  The seat would not lock into place, nor would it completely release.  Driving with the chair half attached was a concern and sent me searching for a replacement part.

Retrieval of Seat from Yard

Prices were higher than I was willing to pay but the Holy Spirit brought junk yards to my remembrance.  After striking out at the first yard, a second location had the year and model I needed. The extraction was worth the muddy foray through automotive waste.  The seat weighs 70+ pounds and the 1/8 mile walk out of the yard tested my constitution.

It wasn't until I was under the weight of the seat, progressing through the mud, that I recognized the Christianity of the moment.  I was undertaking pain and discomfort for the sake of those I love.  The driver seat belt works just fine in the van.  Our children ride in the broken seat and replacement parts are for their benefit.  Christ's encounter with the cross was not for His benefit but for ours.  As I endured the offense of the yard, so Christ endured the offense of the cross.

Inviting Dennis to church

I wasn't sure I would write or preach about the experience until I arrived at the front desk.  Dennis helped me cash out and heard me share my Jesus moment.  I asked him if he knew the Lord and discovered he hadn't sought Jesus since childhood.  An invitation to University Baptist Church and request to share my experience in his junkyard followed.  He agreed to let me include his picture in the points of proclamation that followed my walk through the wasteland.

Difficulties take us to forsaken places.  A broken seat is not a spiritual experience.  Pulling parts from abandoned cars isn't the most prescribed way to experience the Savior.  Walking through mud, at risk of slipping, doesn't strike me as a theological exercise.  I nevertheless see that all things work together for the good.  I am praying for Dennis and hope you will pray that he returns to a walk with the Lord.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. ~ Romans 8:28