Jen’s Gem: Shift into gear with God.
After a couple of weeks of my daughter telling me that her car was accelerating and decelerating on its own, the diagnosis came in. A new transmission is needed. This contraption is what ensures that the right amount of power goes to the wheels to drive at a given speed. It basically shifts the gears.
When I spoke with the mechanic about the cost, I nearly fell over. Five thousand dollars. Five. Thousand. Dollars. Given my lack of automotive chops, I expected maybe two grand. Alas, I was wrong. Within minutes of getting this news, I called upon my more car savvy friends and asked if this was for real.
Everyone, including three mechanics concurred.
What if I sell the car? This has to be an option, I thought. It was. The car’s value? $500. Since we just purchased it a few months ago for well… let’s just say a lot more, $500 was not going to cut it.
I was forced to fix it. Forced to dip into bank accounts whose funds are not designated for car parts, but rather for fun and frolic in my senior years. With no other choice, a call was placed and the money is on its way. Shifting from one purpose to another.
Shifting. I can’t help but think about the analogy of my daughter’s transmission to my own circumstances and to those of the world. There’s a lot of shifting going on, isn’t there? The only way to move forward is to accept the shift, trust that it’ll all work out, and then step into a new normal. A new purpose.
On the outside, no one will ever know her car has a new transmission. Yet on the inside, there will be a brand spanking new “shifter” that will enable her to move from gear to gear without hesitation. There will be a renewed trust in her car that’s been missing as of late. She will be able to accomplish all she needs to with ease and power.
This sounds very similar to the day of Pentecost when the disciples of Jesus, holed up in the upper room in fear of their lives, got a visit from the greatest transmission of all – the Holy Spirit. The encounter shifted them from fear to faith, from scaredy-cats to roaring lions. A veritable Clark Kent to Superman transformation sans the phone booth and cape.
The Holy Spirit. There’s lots of confusion about this member of the Trinity. It’s easy to understand God the Father and Jesus as His Son. But who exactly is the Holy Spirit and what’s His deal?
The Holy Spirit is sometimes represented as a dove so many people equate Him to this little birdie who flies around the earth. I don’t know about you but I’m pretty sure a tiny little dove does not have enough power to raise Jesus from the dead as it says in Romans:
“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” (Romans 8:11 NKJV)
According to this verse, the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, lives in us as believers. The same power that shifted Jesus from the grave, out of hell, and back to life again lives in us. Whoa! That’s some power!
You see when Jesus died, his disciples were lost. Confused. They missed their friend and teacher. They longed for His guidance and wisdom that He shared with them during His three-year ministry. And let’s face it. I’m sure they missed the miracles Jesus performed. I mean turning a handful of fish and bread into a bounty that fed tens of thousands? Water into wine? Blinded to sighted? Crippled to walking? Pretty cool.
Jesus knew his peeps would feel this way. He knew there’d be a void in their lives after He returned to His heavenly throne. He tried to explain this to them before He died, but they didn’t get it.
“Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.” (John 16:7 NKJV)
Hmm… “Helper? That doesn’t sound too convincing Jesus. What else ya got?” I can just imagine the apostles saying this, especially Thomas, who doubted that Jesus even rose from the dead until he saw and touched the marks in His hands.
But the Holy Spirit is more than a Helper. He’s a Comforter, Counselor, Strengthener, Giver of life, and so much more as the Bible tells us. I don’t know about you, but I’ll take it all!
In a few days, my daughter’s car will be ‘resurrected from the dead,’ and new life will be breathed into it with a shiny new transmission. Maybe you’re facing some circumstances that could use an infusion of life and power. I want to encourage you to learn more about the Holy Spirit. A simple Google search is all you need to unveil a plethora of Scriptures and teachings.
We need all the help we can get these days. As I look to do some shifting of my own, I’m going to need help. I’m going to need strength. I’m going to need power. But, instead of heading to AAMCO, I think I’ll go to the Master Mechanic.
How about you?