The cars look quite similar to the casual observer. Both are sixteen years old, with fading paint, and at one time or another they sat buried in a wrecking yard. They share a common manufacturing plant, having come into this world through shared hands. They wear different colors, however from that point on the engines, interior features, and options follow the same pattern.
The difference comes when you get under their skins. The contrast is extreme! Peel off the skins and on one you will find patches of rust, marred plastic and general fatigue. On the other, losing the skin reveals satin black steel, color with a light dust. Rust is no where to be found, the plastic pieces are perfect, and the bolts show signs of being released for the first time. When we saw the results underneath with the first panel removed, we knew we have found something special.
It is almost too easy to judge things by the externals. Faded paint was no indication. The skin and other parts did their job of protecting the frame and internal parts. Because of this, one car should last for many more years to come.
Evil is all around us. It shows itself through disease, broken relationships, and losses of all kind. When you look at the others, you find some are fighting the battle as if they are alone in the world while others appear to be untouched. It would be a mistake to say that the untouched do not face pain in their lives, however something is different! Their insides are untouched by the ravages of living in this world.
With cars, their bodies are designed to protect the underlying structure and passengers. What is the armor that allows some to live with peace and hope while the most painful things are going on around and to them? The answer is the reality of God and Jesus at Calvary. Reality lived, not simple rhetoric.
“No evil can overwhelm a good person, but the wicked have their hands full of it.” (Proverbs 12.21)
