A Lesson From "Miss Belvedere"
Her name is, "Miss Belvedere," and she has quite a story to tell. In
June of 2007 Tami and I were driving through Oklahoma when we heard an
interesting story on the radio. Fifty years earlier in 1957 a brand new car
(1957 Plymouth Belvedere) was buried in a concrete vault under the courthouse
lawn in Tulsa. As part of the 100th anniversary of Oklahoma statehood the car
was being removed from its tomb. As an avid “old-car” enthusiast I was intrigued
and decided to further investigate the condition of the old “new” car.
Though
the car had been wrapped in plastic before being placed in the vault fifty
years of water seeping through the porous concrete had turned the once gleaming
car into a rusty bucket of bolts. The exterior with the characteristic 1950’s
style tail fins was completely corroded. The plush interior had rotted away. The
car’s condition was described by a mechanic as follows. “There are holes in the
valve covers and oil pan, and red clay got into the engine and dried like
concrete. The frame is rusted and in some sections I can put my hand through
the holes. The doors cannot be opened without risking what’s left of the car’s
structural integrity.” The car was taken to New Jersey where it underwent a
$15,000 attempt at renovation. Ultimately, however, the chassis was determined
to be too weak for the car to ever be driven again. It is now on display in a
museum.
The
deterioration of the car is an example of what happens to your spiritual
talents when you bury them in a vault of inactivity and neglect. Year after
year they diminish in strength until they become corroded by the rust of the
world and are rendered completely useless. This is why spiritual growth is so
important.
Peter
urged Christians, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by
it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is
good” (1 Pt. 2:2-3). One of the weaknesses of those to whom the book of Hebrews
was writer was a failure to grow spiritually. “In fact, though by this time you
ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of
God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food” (Heb. 5:12).
Spiritual growth requires intentionality. We must eagerly desire it, faithfully
pursue it, sacrificially invest in it and actively demonstrate it.
Have
you buried your gifts?
