Lime Green Hatchbacks
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
“Honey, who is going to want to buy your lime green hatchback?” says the wet blanket in the linen closet of life wife, as she walks across the room. Oblivious to the pessimism, the focused husband takes a sip of coffee to steel his nerves and calmly posts his car for sale on cars.com.
Lime green is everywhere in the next scene. Lime walls. Lime lantern. Lime laptop. Even a lime bobble head puppy on the desk. Seahawks’ fans sigh, “It is sublime!” Yes, even the man sitting at his computer is sipping coffee in a warm lime mug, lime stripped shirt, lime watch, and lime Andy Capp hat. He sees the posting for the hatchback and forgets to breathe. Remember what he gasps next, lowering his coffee? “Oh sweet mercy! A lime green hatchback. It’s a thing of beauty.” He calls to see if it is still available for purchase as his enthusiasm glows.
You’ve heard the expression “one man’s junk is another man’s treasure.” What one might consider worthless or expendable, another might consider valuable. The lime green hatchback is exactly such an example. By his great grace, isn’t the same true in our lives? That very thing we might see as junk, the very thing no one could ever want, God may actually redeem as something of value for us. It may be a “treasure” to him as he teaches us to treasure him.
Trials in our lives we can’t figure out the purpose for
Events we write off as insignificant
Traits or characteristics that we wish belonged to someone else
Failures long forgiven in Christ we are still embarrassed about
Accomplishments we hesitate to celebrate
All these things and more. God may be waiting for us to post them, to make them available for him to redeem and use for the advancement of his kingdom and the glory of his name. May we have the courage to give the lime green hatch backs of our lives to God today. After all, Jesus gives sovereign grace in suffering lives. Christ’s power is made perfect in weakness. And his great promise is “…all things for good of those who love him…” (Romans 8:28). “Everything is necessary that he sends. Nothing can be necessary that he withholds” (John Newton).
