Bye-Bye Van

Over two years ago, the transmission on the van started slipping.  Then there was a slight leak in the exhaust system.  That leak became a hole that made the van roar with the noise of a small airplane.

This past week we found a Corolla and bought it (even without taking it to our mechanic for a once-over ... still afraid that we may come to regret that).  The jury is still out on whether the new car will be driven primarily by Andrew or Gary.  They're probably going to trade back and forth until they decide.

The junk man came to haul away the van this weekend.  It is entirely unreasonable how sad it made me to see the van leave.  I had to fight back tears.  We owned it for 13 years; we took it on vacations; we drove it on gazillions of errands; we no longer have a vehicle with which to haul small furniture or bicycles.  Even though it was in cruddy shape, I miss it.  That's dumb, but that's the way it is.

Oh, Foolish Ones

When Jesus meets the disciples on the road to Emmaus that Sunday afternoon, they tell Him everything that had happened that weekend.  They had all the facts: their teacher's death, an empty tomb, women who heard a message from angels, Peter and John seeing that the body was missing.  "Too bad He didn't turn out to be the redeemer as we'd hoped." 

And Jesus tells them, "Oh, foolish ones and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken."  And then He proceeded to tell them AGAIN what the Old Testament taught about the Messiah.  And He proceeds to preach the Gospel to them.  He proceeds to tell them about the forgiveness won in the blood of the Messiah to save sinners.

Do you have that kind of patience when people are that tuned out to what you've been telling them?  I sure don't. 

When I am foolish and slow of heart to believe, Jesus doesn't scold.  He doesn't reason.  And He certainly doesn't give up in frustration because I didn't believe Him before.  He treats us just as He treated the Emmaus disciples.

He gives more.
And forgives yet again.

Purging and Cleaning and De-Cluttering, Oh My!

Why is there such a huge internal struggle between "We could use this" and "We need this"?  It's easy for my head to know which is which.  But to get rid of something we "could use" is a booger!