It’s one o’clock in the morning, I have just completed an onsite trauma response, and turn on the ignition of my car and two indicator icons light up that display an engine and parking light. The car moves and a big red icon appears that say: “PARK.”
I’m not parking, I’m exhausted from another long day that began at 5am and I am an hour from home and pray that it’s nothing but an electrical glitch. Yes, I am driving home on the 400, and praying that it’s nothing serious and hope that I am not making things worse by driving the car. I just want to get home.
How many times have you asked yourself, “Am I OK.” No, you have not always attended Mass on Sunday. You can’t remember the last time you went to confession. You forgot what an Easter duty means. And yes, you most likely ate meat on a Friday during Lent. In your mind, even worse maybe in your soul, the indicator lights are flashing in your conscious saying “I’m not going to make it to heaven” because my engine, your soul is in deep trouble from neglecting your spiritual alternator.
So maybe it’s time for a spiritual tune-up. I took my car to Dennis, the manager of a repair shop that has maintained my car’s for over 30 years.
His analysis, “it’s most likely a computer glitch.” Sure enough, his young mechanic connects their computer to my car’s computer board that turned off the indicator lights.
Most interesting was the remark from our mechanic who had worked in a dealership repair shop. This would have costs me thousands to repair because mechanics are trained to replace parts when none are needed at the owner’s expense. I was not surprised by his comment. He was sick of their lack of integrity and now works in a repair shop that focused on performing quality work in an ethical way.
So, your spiritual indicator lights are flashing “PARK” or worse, your soul is in danger of eternal damnation, that sounds like serious engine damage.
Some dealerships, or church leaders would have you trembling in fear because you have failed to follow the maintenance manual that indicates when you need an engine tune-up every 75,000 miles.
When my indicator lights go off, I think about Dennis who like our Lord says “Come to me all who worry about your car, something that creaks or rattles inside your car or inside our heads or inside our soul. “I will refresh” means my engine is not going to the junkyard and when we fail to follow the manual, our Good Shepherd reassures us that we are all going to be just fine.
“Are you OK?” Sometimes we are told by the dealership that we need lots of expensive repairs, or our spiritual leaders put doubts in our soul that we are not worthy.
I would remind you that you are the best of His creation and never forget that. Yes, we might have forgotten to get our car inspected on time, or forgot it was a meatless Friday in Lent, or that the last time we were in church was a funeral for a friend or family member.
But as I was driving in the wee hours of the morning with that red PARK light flashing in my eye, I had hope that I would be just fine. The Good Shepherd loves us and when we get out of line, or neglect our soul, the engine of eternal life, he comes to repair our hearts with His words of mercy and love.
So, the next time your spiritual indicator lights turn on, say a prayer of gratitude to Jesus that He will get you back on the road safely. We may have doubts about our worthiness or that we have not been the best Christian we can be, but in faith know that Jesus has your back and wants you to know that His plan is to bring us all home to heaven.
Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who travel with their warning lights flashing their souls are doomed forever. In faith and hope, say a prayer of gratitude to Jesus who comes to repair our souls and get us back on the road of life that leads to our eternal home.
