Looking Good on the Inside

My son just bought himself a new old car. His old one was going to take more money to repair it than it cost to buy this new old one. When you look at it, it looks a little beat up; there are places where it's really obvious that there's been body work done by the previous owner; not always so well done. Yet the engine and transmission are in great shape because the mechanic who serviced the car did good work and the owner was faithful in his maintenance. This means the car should run well for my son for a few years giving him reliable transportation. It may not look great, but there's strength and power inside that's not so obvious on the outside.
I got to thinking that my son's car is a lot like many of us followers of Jesus. When you've been around for over 50 years like I have, you get a little beat up and can look pretty rough at times. When I look in the mirror in the mornings, I'm always glad I'm not the one who has to look at me all day. I've done some body work over the years, done a little exercising, play a little hockey to stay kind of in shape. My eating habits have not helped the body work part as well as they should have: chocolate will be my downfall one day. Yet my insides are looking a lot better than my outside due to the Holy Spirit's work and maintenance in me. This has been an unusual year for me with travelling to both Africa and New Mexico and it has given me plenty of opportunity to do some inner reflection, looking to see how I'm doing on the inside.
I've got lots of work to do in many areas of my heart, but I can also see evidence that the Holy Spirit has been doing some work on me. Through devotions, fellowship with other believers, and regular times of confession and repentance, the Spirit has been working inside me. One of the biggest signs for me is a growing sense of peace, even when storms come calling. One of our daughters had a cancer scare this spring and the Spirit gave us peace while we were waiting for the results. That doesn't mean the waiting was easy or there wasn't worry, but over the years I have learned how important it is to place these times in God's hands as we prayed and encouraged and supported our daughter. This learning came from the work the Spirit did as I read the Scriptures, talked with God and shared life with friends and fellow believers. I can't take credit for this, because this is the Spirit's work, but I'm also called to do my share of the work on growing the Fruit of the Spirit inside, but also get going on some of that outside body work at the same time now that spring is here.
Wish me luck and plenty of self control around that chocolate!