The accident was between only two vehicles: a Range Rover (like the one pictured) and a total beater. The front end of the pristine white SUV was smashed beyond recognition. The beater was totalled from the collision on it's driver side. The strangeness of what I was seeing began when I looked past the vehicles and saw the drivers on the curb. It was clear who was driving which car by how they were dressed. I noticed that the driver who was operating the beater looked somewhat dazed and annoyed from the inconvenience of it all. Then my eyes moved to the very well dressed woman sobbing nearly hysterically as she gazed at her totally smashed possession.
I thought: here is a man who, if I ventured a guess, just smashed in the only car he could possibly afford and the insurance was likely not going to pay enough to buy him more transportation. Even if it was a beater of lesser value (if that were possible). He should have looked distraught and worried about what he was going to do, how he was going to get around, what he was going to do to get through this. He just looked like he wanted to move on, go on about his day and do what he could to finally get to his destination. The much more affluent woman was covering her face and wailing like she a mother who had just run over one of her children. She likely had at least one other vehicle at home and she would be back behind the wheel of another status symbol on wheels in no time. But she was clearly overwhelmed with the condition of her vehicle.
Isn't it obvious how the things we own end up owning us?
That's a great illustration of what church buildings do to the household of faith in wealthy America versus saints who gather under coconut tree branches propped up on bamboo. Our comparative cathedrals warp and distort the ability of American believers to relate to each other and to God. Only God knows the relational grief, tears included, that have gone into erecting and maintaining our cathedrals.
ReplyDeletewe can't blame a building for distorting our relationships any more than we can blame our car for crashing into another. I think I get your point but as my wifey says...it's a heart issue.
ReplyDeleteYes, ultimately.
ReplyDeleteThe church building is a heart issue.
Billions of $ don't flow out of the pockets and accounts of God's people without a heart issue.
The whole system that requires a special building is a heart issue. Like the sobbing woman, emotions run high on this heart issue.