It Was Just A Little Bump

It happened yesterday afternoon.  I was in a parking lot and about to reverse my car to pull out of my parking space.  I thought I had carefully looked both ways before proceeding to back up but suddenly – bump!  What was that?  A box in the road, I thought to myself?  I turned around to look and to my surprise there was a silver car directly behind me.  Oh, no!

I quickly got out as did the driver of the other car.  Over his right back wheel there was a huge smear of my car’s red paint with a streak of raw metal showing through.  His paint had been completely scraped off.  There was also a small indentation over his wheel.  My car had silver paint smudged on my red and also a long scrape of bare metal showing.  Goodness gracious!  It was just a bump.  I had to have been moving about 1 mile per hour.  How did such damage occur?

Thankfully the other driver was a very kind man.  He said, “I’ve seen you somewhere before. ”  We soon deduced that I had spoken in his church in years past.  Great, I thought, missionary plows into local church member’s car!  I was very thankful for his kindness.

We each phoned our insurance companies and the police who came to file the accident report.  Then, with handshakes,  and another apology from me, we waved and went our separate ways.  In just a few days time both our cars will be repaired and will look as if nothing ever happened.  Body shops amaze me at what they fix.

Contemplating my mishap when I got home (and with that wonderful hot, steaming mug of tea to help the nerves), the verse Galations 5:9, came to my mind:

“A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.”  My paraphrase: It takes just a little yeast to work through the whole batch of dough.

Remember the feeling that comes upon us when one day we realize we’re not as close to Father as we have been in previous days?  Then we have to admit to ourselves and to our heavenly Father that we have  taken a step away from Him?  It was only a little sin, nothing significant, we tell ourselves as we proceed to do something that deep inside we know we shouldn’t.  Well, it’s nothing terrible, we argue further with ourselves, I mean, it’s not like I killed someone.  On and on goes the dialogue in our minds as we try to explain away to ourselves why we did or did not do something or why we said what we said.  Still, the distance from our Father is acute.  It won’t go away until we do the one necessary thing: We must go to the repair shop.

One of my favorite verses is I John 1:9:

“If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

How often will Father forgive us?  Every time we ask Him to do so.

How long will it take to feel close to Him again?  Immediately.  He restores us to Himself; He loves it when His children come back to Him.

If you’ve discovered there’s “just a little bump” in your life, go ahead today and get that repaired.  Your loving heavenly Father is waiting.