LEARNING FROM A GREMLIN

I remember buying what I think was my fourth car. It was a Gremlin. It was yellow with black trim. It was different and unique in shape from most cars on the road at the time, so I guess that’s what attracted me to it. I found out quickly that the fuel gauge was very accurate. Thankfully, I was almost home when it hit E and stopped in the middle of the road. I had to push it the rest of the way. That’s the car I was driving when I almost went off the embankment because a girl fell over on the stirring wheel. If you missed that story, you can read all about it in the post called, *3 Girls, 3 Guys, And A Gremlin.

I loved that car but it was used and I didn’t have it long. I was driving down a two-lane highway one day and the car in front of me was going a bit slower than I wanted to go, so I decided to go around it. I had seen people drop their gear shifter on automatic cars down a gear in order to get up more speed to pass another car. They called it passing gear. Well, I needed some more speed so that’s what I did. I wish I hadn’t, though, because when I did, the car down-shifted hard and started vibrating really bad. I heard a terrible noise like pieces of the motor falling off onto the road. I looked in the rear-view mirror and saw those pieces sliding all over the highway behind me.

What a mess. What a disappointment. I only had the thing for a few weeks. I stopped as quickly as I could on a little gravel road. To my surprise, the car was still running so I drove just a bit further to the gas station and went in to call my uncle. He came and looked at it and confirmed that the car had slung a rod. I told him it was still running when I made it to the store, so he told me to start it up and see if it would still run. I did, and it did, so he followed me as I drove it to his house. That was a sad day. I miss that car sometimes and on the rare occasion when I see a yellow Gremlin, I’m reminded of those thrilling days.

I have had so many used cars over the years that I doubt I could remember them all. I do remember at least ten cars and a truck from the time I was sixteen until I was twenty-three, though. Some were used, some were more used than others, and some were really used. Some had been well maintained, but some had not. The ones that had been taken care of were in better shape, of course, and they lasted longer. The ones that had been neglected were in bad shape and didn’t last long at all. I’m sure all of them would have lasted longer if I had taken better care of them myself, but I didn’t. I was a young man with a heavy foot and I drove too fast and was hard on my cars. I didn’t have the oil changed regularly and I didn’t really check it regularly. In short, I neglected them.

I did the same thing with my body for years. I ate what I wanted. I drank what I wanted. I drank alcohol and used drugs. I partied and I stayed out all night. I took drugs to stay awake. I took drugs to help me sleep. I gained weight, then starved myself to lose it. I took laxatives and weight loss drugs. Even after I stopped drinking and doing drugs, I spent lots of late nights playing video games, reading comic books, and organizing baseball cards. All that abuse to my body, plus the wear and tear from several strenuous jobs and two car wrecks have taken a toll on me. Now, my body is worn out and I’m in constant pain.

I’m thankful to God for helping me to give up those bad habits, but the damage is done. What bothers me the most is that a lot of it could have been avoided. If I had been more concerned about my health back then, I would still have a lot more good years left in me. The Bible says our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit who lives inside of us (1 Corinthians 6:19). We need to take care of his temple. Our bodies are like machines. Just like those machines, if our bodies don’t have regular maintenance they don’t last near as long as they will if we take good care of them.

Our bodies can’t live without WATER so that would be a good place to start. We need to drink plenty of water. REST is very important as well, so we need to try to get eight hours of sleep each night. We need to get plenty of fresh AIR, so walking outside and doing other kinds of EXERCISE outdoors is a great way to kill two birds with one stone.

Another very important thing we need is SUNSHINE. Not all, but many living things need sunshine to be healthy. Of course, too much sunlight can be harmful. We need it in moderate amounts. Too much of anything can be bad for you, so we need to practice MODERATION in every area of our lives and we need to avoid putting things into our bodies that will harm them. We need to develop good eating habits and eat only foods that will promote good health. Good NUTRITION is imperative to maintaining both physical and mental health. Both of those are connected to our spiritual health. Usually, if we are lacking in one of these three areas, the other two will be affected. We need to round it all out by TRUSTING GOD to provide for all our needs and following his instructions in the Bible. All these things will help our bodies and minds to feel better and last longer.

Just like regular maintenance on a car can prevent costly repairs or even the death of the car, regular maintenance on our bodies can help keep us from getting sick and dying at an early age. Being healthy is very important, so we need to take care of our bodies so we can be as healthy as possible and enjoy life while we live here on this earth.

*3 Girls, 3 Guys, And A Gremlin

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3 GIRLS, 3 GUYS, AND A GREMLIN

I’ll never forget the year I turned nineteen. My cousin invited me to go to church with him, so I did. I loved that church and I loved the people. I still do. They were so kind and loving and fun to be around. They didn’t condemn me because I wasn’t a Christian. They just loved me, and showed me kindness, and made me feel like part of the family.

I was raised in church and was taught that the Bible is God’s word, but when I was sixteen, I left home and left all that behind, but now, I was going to church several nights each week, and reading the Bible again. My life was much better. I was headed in a positive direction and I actually felt good about it. As I read more about Jesus and got to know him, I grew to love him. Soon, I gave my life to him and was born again.  

Some of my cousins and friends started coming to church, and we made new friends. We had a prayer meeting night, a youth night, and a choir practice night each week. We would hang out in the little town some nights after services. We did a lot of fun stuff and had many adventures and I learned that I didn’t need drugs or alcohol to enjoy life.    

Things aren’t always perfect, though, just because we are serving God. I want to tell you about a few adventures we had that weren’t pleasant at all, but I know God was with us, and when I look back on them now, I sometimes laugh.

We were taking one of our friends home one night after church when I ran into a mud puddle on the edge of the road. The wheel quickly jerked and pulled the right two wheels into the shallow ditch. I had heard people say, “If that ever happens, turn your wheels back to the road and gas it, and you’ll come back up out of the ditch.” Well, I took their advice and floored it as I turned the wheel back toward the road. It might have worked except for one small detail. The ditch didn’t remain at a consistent depth. It quickly got deeper. Really deep, in fact. Before I knew it, the car was on its side and we were all piled up on each other on the passenger’s side of the car. We had to climb up to get out the driver’s side door, then we had to walk for a few miles to get some help. We finally got the car out, and we were on our way again. God protected us from getting hurt. The side of my car was all bent and scratched up, but we weren’t. Praise the Lord for that.

We were at McDonald’s one night and saw some of our friends there. They were in another car so we were sitting alongside each other facing opposite directions. When they started driving forward, I started backing up, staying beside them, and continuing to talk to them. I glanced back at the parking lot behind me and knew there were no other cars back there. It was all clear. Then, all of a sudden, my car came to an abrupt stop. I had hit a light pole with a concrete base. We were traveling pretty slow, so nobody was hurt and neither was the car. I never did that again without looking back.

Another time, we were headed to church in that little yellow Gremlin. There were three guys and three girls. There were two guys in the back seat and I was driving. The girls all wanted to sit in the front seat together. We were packed in like sardines and one girl was sitting on the other two girls’ laps. When we reached the main highway, I stopped. Then, as I drove out and turned to the right, the girls all fell over on me and grabbed the steering wheel. It felt like it locked. I couldn’t straighten the car up. We quickly headed for the steep embankment and would have gone over if I hadn’t slammed on the brakes just in time. God was with us that day, too, and gave me the wisdom to know just what to do.

As I look back on my early days as a Christian, I’m encouraged. I remember what my life was before Jesus became part of it, and I can imagine how much worse it might have become if I hadn’t started following him. He changed my life in so many ways, and I’m so thankful.

He knew exactly what I needed and he knew the exact time I needed it. He sent me to that little church where his servants would show me his love. They loved me just like I was, and they allowed God to change me in his own time. That’s the way it should be done. We’re fishers of men, but we have to allow God to clean them. We can plant the seeds, and even water them, but it’s God who causes the trees to produce fruit (1 Corinthians 3:6).

It’s amazing how God can turn a life around and give it meaning and purpose. That’s what he did for me that night he came into my heart in that little church. When we get discouraged, and the pressures of life get us down, we need to remember where God brought us from and how he changed our lives. Many times, looking back will give us the strength and courage to keep moving forward.

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My Blogs
https://teddylynn.blogspot.com
https://teddylynn.wordpress.com

© 2017 Teddy Lynn – All Rights Reserved

My books are available in paperback & digital format on Amazon @ https://www.amazon.com/Teddy-Lynn/e/B01MZDB6L6