After the quick excursion to Jersey and back in March, the Mustang needed a
good cleaning. Over 5800 miles of interstate dirt had accumulated, interrupted
by one three dollar quick wash in Vinita, so I decided to have it detailed.
When the mobile detailer I chose showed up, he didn’t have the deionized water
tank on back, and I asked him about it. “We are not a car wash, we detail
cars.” Now I am not sure when we became trendy and started detailing cars, I
remember learning to wash and wax cars with my Dad’s 1966 Rambler. Saturday
mornings in the shade at Brookside Park you found car guys Simonizing their
rides, after washing them at home. Wax was cheap, with Classic Car Wax
advertising how their expensive car wax, at five dollars a can was worth the
extra money. Waxing was a twice a year affair, spring and fall for most, for
protection in the harsh winters. But so much of what we call detailing was done
in the driveway by us young car guys, under the careful supervision of our
parents.
It was a big deal for me when my Mother got a new vacuum and we were able
to use her old one to vacuum the car. No more whisk brooming the floors and
mats, now all the dirt we missed got sucked up. But we still had the rubber
floor mats to contend with, which in most cars ran the full length from left to
right. Before bucket seats became standard, at one time a novelty for the
sports car type, now you had one six food rubber map to scrub. Scrub and rinse,
scrub again, rinse again, and hang to dry, and then repeat with the rear mat.
Onto the wheels while they dried, taking a Brillo pad to the white walls, only
the rich could afford the Bleche White, I could never tell the difference, and
then put the mats back in, wash the exterior, dry with a chamois, and Windex the
windows. And when done getting a smile of approval from your Dad, and fifty
cents to buy a comic or two, a Coke and a Tootsie Roll, and a Bub’s Daddy for
later. Big money for a big job, which took all morning, and when your friends
stopped by, thought how cool you were, and asked to help, but this was your job,
your responsibility, your chance to brag. All carefully performed while
listening to WABC and Cousin Brucie on the AM dash radio. Cooler if it had a
rear speaker. Closest thing to stereo most of us ever heard. The days of
rubber floor mats are long gone, but the memories live on, if only in the
details, and the detailing.
Now if you may remember, we had colored interiors way back when. With
floor mats to match, with some having the cool clear ones, my Dad would never
spring the extra couple of bucks for it. No Armorall for the dashes, no spray
for eh ashtray odor left behind, and 360 degree air for airing it out
afterwards. If you had a cool parent they would even roll down the tailgate
window in the family station wagon, maybe the only cool ride to have in one.
Mercury in their sedans even had a disappearing window in the rear, rolling down
electrically behind the rear seat, how cool was that? But strangely enough, we
never cleaned under the hood, I guess no one cared back then about shiny engines
and clean engine bays, today part of the detail. For who, ask yourself, when was
the last time you looked under the hood? Could you even find the motor? If so,
so what? Some cars don’t even have dipsticks any more. Which may explain why
some older cars are perfect in and out, except for under the hood. It was all
about the appearance and even more so today. So while some wash, other detail.
But very few look under the hood....
Seems very few Christians go beyond a pretty exterior. Look good on
Sunday, carry the right Bible with the right cover, have all the presets to
Christian stations, have read all the latest how to books on being a better
believer, and off they go. Free from sin, the pastor and the Bible say so, but
how are we made sinless? We appear as clean as a detailed car on the outside,
but God looks under the hood, are we detailed there too? Saying a prayer has
changed their status, yet the old lifestyle remains. Some even believe they
will be shown special favor when saved, bypassing sickness, problems, and
anything else that may upset them. They may have signed a membership card, been
baptized as per the denominational requirements, but how do we know we are
saved? What shows on the outside that really comes from the inside, where Jesus
affects the change?
Jesus does it by turning on his light in our lives. We were once slaves to
darkness, living in darkness that tried to extinguish the light, to encourage
hatred, and to produce death in us. Jesus changed all that, and more. He
starts with giving us life instead of death, light I place of darkness, and hope
instead of futility. Love instead of hatred. And that is only the start. We
are engaged in a process of growth, learning about God and his spirit changing
us to be like him. Note we cannot do this ourselves, as Paul may have planted,
and Apollos watered, but only the spirit could provide the growth. Just like we
need air to breath, we need the spirit to grow and live. And it just isn’t the
church folk who qualify, even the most hardened murderer, molester, thief,
addict or alcoholic can participate. All are invited, yet many refuse the
invitation. They refuse to admit their sin, and when we see our sin we will
repent. When asked for forgiveness, Jesus changing our lawlessness into love.
But only after we receive him into our lives and heart. With Jesus, in Jesus,
the results are always the same, release from lawlessness, or sin. For some the
sickness takes years, but the process is in place the moment we are saved. As
we all should be able to testify...
Years ago we used to stay at The Apple Farm in SLO, until it got too
expensive and we had kids. A higher end hotel than we were used to, so clean,
and once while looking under the bed, a sign said “we clean here too.” No sin
or dirt swept under the carpet here. Can we say the same? At one time the
whisk broom was effective, but still left dirt. Rubber floor mats may have
helped protect the carpet, but the dirt was still there. Sometimes trapping it
into the carpet. Don’t settle for a quick clean when you can have all the dirt
removed. Out of darkness into the light is available to all. The world tells
us the devil is in the details, we know Jesus handles all the details. Before
rubber mats, before we bypassed car washing for detailing, Jesus was ready to
detail our lives. To not only give us anew appearance before man, but before
God also. In Jesus we find no sin, and when we are in him, we are sinless too.
We still need the car wash, the cleansing, but one good detailing of forgiveness
is enough. For salvation. Maybe try this exercise, go and wash your car
yourself, and see all the dirt left afterwards. Sweep under the carpeted floor
mats, see all the hidden dirt. Run your hand over the paint and feel the
roughness. Then have it detailed and note the difference. Jesus gets the dirt
we cannot see. And all we can.
Just like when we washed our Dad’s car, under his careful supervision with
him watching.....
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com