I have a fancy to go for vintage car exhibition, although the chance to go for one, comes only occasionally. I was pleased to have one occasion recently.
What fascinates is reading the biography of each car, which is often given in a summary form. All kinds of histories of who owned them at different times or how the mechanical efficiency is maintained although a car is seventy five years old, or how a car won vintage car races, etc are available in the biographical summary.
I came across a history of one care, badly damaged in a crash, with photographs of the damage on three sides of the body and the engine compartment. The car since them was rebuilt taking about one and half years. There was a picture of another car of the same brand and the same year of manufacture to give a comparison of how the rebuilt car looked original like the other car of the same make.
A damage was not the end of its story. The car is now fully road worthy and participates in vintage car races. The owner of the car takes out the car once a week to go for a family outing.
It was while returning after this special experience, I thought about how humans get affected by difficult experience in life by feeling lost or damaged of reputation. Such traumatic experiences make many live in grief for too long and slip into a depressogenic orientation and self blame or accusing others. For some this is a justifiable reason to turn to emotional pacifiers such as alcohol or other substances.
But some others work on redeeming the past. The owner of the vintage car brought his car to its earlier status after the crash and damage.
It is a similar story that I came across while listening to a young man! He lived indulgently during his college years and needed double the amount of time to complete his graduation. It was after he finally managed to cross that hurdle, he faced the shock of, both of his parents suffering from terminal illnesses. He turned to a friend, whom he avoided to meet for three years, for fear of him disapproving his indulgent life. But what he experienced was something altogether different, when he met him to share the shock of illnesses of his parents. He was offered a job to sell toys in a super market. In less than a month he proved his ability to sell well, bringing double the income to the store. During the short period of two years he received two promotions earning a good salary, which gave him income that he needed to take care of this parents. He restored his past and redeemed the opportunity that was offered to him. He offered to be a volunteer in the local Alcoholic Anonymous group since then, to be facilitator to help in de-addiction programme for others.
The vintage car owner redeemed his car; a young man redeemed his life from going down hill.
I like both the stories as they speak about the central theme in our lives! All is not lost when we go thorough difficult experiences. The way forward can help us to live our potential and find larger meaning in life. The car owner gave attention to give a second chance to his car; the young man gave a second chance to himself!
That is a good enough reason to view our disappointments, broken relationships, 'failure' in work place, etc as pathways to create new opportunities to discover a new orientation to life and living.
Our lives are destined to go beyond our disappointments, because, God of our lives is at work in our lives to restore us to fullness. It is this message I receive from the sayings of Jesus of Nazareth, 'I am the good shepherd and you are my sheep'!
That resonates within me assuring me safety and hope!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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