Today’s Ripple comes from my deep brother, Justin Wedges. Justin and I did two tours together in the trenches of Outreach, Inc. (a ministry for homeless youth ages 14-24) from 2010 to 2012. When you’ve done that type of work alongside someone, you are forever bonded in blood. He, like so many I’ve worked with, has much to offer the world, and I am profoundly grateful to him for the blessing of his writing.
We bought a car! Well, the bank did most of the buying, nonetheless there is a very respectable Mini Van in our possession! We needed it. The last one started falling apart about as soon as we got it home… I think it was a lemon. “Lemon – an oval citrus fruit, – a pale yellow color, – a person or thing, especially an automobile regarded as unsatisfactory, disappointing or feeble.”
Am I a Lemon?? The old van’s list of shortcomings sounds a lot like mine: Doors that stay closed when they should open, Lights that stay dark when they should illumine, Alarms that go off when all is well, Just won’t start on cold mornings, Noisy rattling and complaints when we’re going uphill, and a persistent unwillingness to keep straight along the road… that all adds up to a pretty low trade-in value to a dealer. But thanks be to God there’s one Private Party who sees this Lemon and will pay any price to get him!
“if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature”—“you died and your real life is hidden with Christ in God”—“and such were some of you. But you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”
“Look!” Jesus exclaims, beaming, “Look what I bought! It’s a 1982 Justin Wedges! We only made one of these and he’s all mine!”
“You bought THAT?” someone replies, “hope you didn’t pay much!”
“Only my life” Jesus says with a grin, “but he’s totally worth it, I work on him daily and he’s actually getting newer!”
When I seek the Lord, and trust what he says, I realize he does love this ol’ 82JW. Brethren and sistren, Jesus is obsessive about his fleet of would-be Lemons. He died for them, lives for them and is awfully proud of what they are becoming. He’s using them…us…you…me, to show the whole world “what is true and noble and just and pure and praiseworthy.”
“You were bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body and spirit which are God’s.”