It was just like every other Sunday morning. Deb and I were with her parents coming in to Martin, Tn. from Union City, TN. The 15 minute ride over was quiet and peaceful. As we approached the stoplight in front of Walmart, something caught our attention from the field on our right. It was a white car out in the middle of a muddy field.
Did you see the white car in the middle of the field? Wonder how it got there and who was driving it? How did they get that far? Another 100 yards and they would have made it. It was stuck in mud up to the frame. I wonder what happened? These were questions and statements made in every restaurant, church, school, and any other place of conversation in Weakley and Obion County. Social media had a field day (no pun intended) with it.
I still do not know any of the above answers, or at least the truth of what happened. I have heard every theory possible and even opined a few of my own. Still no actual facts. The only true fact I do know is this peculiar occurance has brought more people together with laughter than anything I have seen in a long time. Strangers talking and laughing together.
We have all been unified in laughter and with the same curiosity. In a time when there is so much bitter division from politics to religion and terrible news of shootings, sexual harassment, actions or inactions in Washington, D.C., we have the "white car".
We owe it to the white car for bringing us together with laughter. Maybe the City of Martin should purchase the car, get permission from the land owner, and place the car back in the field and let it serve as a monument. A monument of the time we laughed together as a united people, being able to escape a few minutes each day from the burdens we carry.
Now let's move on to some serious questions. Who (we're in the South, "Bless his/her heart") was driving this car and why did he/she drive it there? We know someone put it there. It is an actual fact the car didn't put itself in the middle of the field, just like the sun didn't put itself in the middle of our galaxy. Well maybe some folks down the road may think the sun did, but they are united with us in believing this car had a driver.
Now let's get back to the person responsible for all of this. I laughed, belly laughed, every time I saw it, but my laughter was at the expense of the driver of the car. I started thinking how it must be with everyone laughing at you. Whether this was accidental, intentional, medical caused, or under an influence, the consequences are still the same. He/she was the main topic of laughter.
He/she could be a bad person, addict, felon, have medical issues, lonely, confused, troubled, or a good person, but he/she has something in common with us all. We have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) If this individual had made it to the end of the field, we would have never known. It would have been between him/her and God. Many of our mistakes and sins are only known by us and God alone. If they were made public, we may be the talk of the town also. Many of us strive for perfection, but like the car, we don't make it to the end of the field.
Over two thousand years ago, there was another man who was made a public spectacle. They laughed at Him, but they also hung Him on a cross. He was the only perfect and sinless person ever to walk on the face of this earth. He went to the "end of the field" for us. We got stuck in the middle of the field (life) with mud (sin) all over us.
We all get laughed at. Not by each other, but by Satan. He knows we will never make it out by ourselves. He does all he can to deceive us into not following the only one that can present us righteous before God. Evil works hard to keep us from following truth.
What is the truth that counters the evil that is wanting us to get mired down in the mud (sin)? God's word is truth and sets us apart. (John 17:17) Following this truth will set us free. (John 8:32) When David felt stuck, he wrote: I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth--praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord. (Psalms 40:1-3, NKJV)
All of us have a "white car" episode in our lives. Those episodes have been public and private, with each producing a consequence affecting us and those around us. How can we overcome these episodes? We can overcome these and be pulled out of them by being part of the family. The family I am talking about is God's family. In this family, we laugh together, we cry, we forgive, and are forgiven by God and each other.
So, to the driver of the "white car", I hope you are okay. If you want to be a part of a group of people, including myself, who have been stuck in mud (sin) before, come and be my special guest Sunday at the Martin Church of Christ. Morning service starts at 9:00 A.M.. We remember each Sunday what Jesus did for us. He suffered, bled, and died for us, because we were also stuck in the middle of a field of mud (sin).
This offer is also to anyone else who may also be stuck in that same field. We encourage each other and help each other when we get stuck with life's problems. Look forward to seeing you there. Tell them Rick Hepler invited you and we won't ask you if you are the driver of the "white car".
Thanks for reading. Please send comments to rhepler52@gmail.com . Also I was literally stuck in mud one time with my brother Randy. I wrote about it a few years ago. Please go to https://rick-hepler.blogspot.com/2011/07/blue-mud.html to read about it.
Hope you have a nice day!
Rick Hepler
